Podkowa Leśna (literal meaning – "Forest Horseshoe", in full: ''Miasto-ogród Podkowa Leśna'' – "Garden-City Podkowa Leśna") is a town in

Grodzisk Mazowiecki County __NOTOC__ Grodzisk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 199 ...

Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship or Mazowieckie Province (, ) and any variation thereof, is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, containing Poland's capital Warsaw. Masovian Voivodeship has an area of and had a 2019 po ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and located within the territory of the Młochowskie Forests. The town also has the status of

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and tow ...

, meaning "commune". Population – ca. 4000. Located in a beautiful setting not far from

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, the town has an interesting collection of villas dating back to the interwar period, along with newly built modern family homes and mansions. Forests surround the city on three sides from the east, south, and north. Peacocks freely wonder around the town. It is considered by some to be "Warsaw's bedroom" given its relaxing, natural environment and close proximity to the capital of Poland, Warsaw.

History

The town was designed in 1925 by Anthony Jawornicki and is based on the principles of the

garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with Green belt, greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, i ...

. Its growth was aided by the construction of the

Warsaw Commuter Railway Warsaw Commuter Railway (, WKD) is a light rail commuter line in Poland's capital city of Warsaw. The line, together with its two branches, links Warsaw with the municipalities of Michałowice, Pruszków County, Michałowice, Pruszków, Brwinów, ...

in 1927 which has 3 stations located in the town. Due to the town being served by this light railway line, it is easily accessed from central Warsaw. On 1 September 1939, the first day of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, bombs fell on Podkowa Leśna that the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

had intended for

. Afterwards, it was occupied by Germany until 17 January 1945, when the Soviets entered Podkowa Leśna. On 1 January 1969, it obtained town status. It is historically has attracted residents from the arts, culture and politics and is increasingly popular with wealthy professionals and business people. The town is one of the wealthiest in Poland.

Town layout

There is a small town centre consisting of numerous amenities such as a church, bank, post office, wine shop, numerous delicatessens, police station, veterinarian and numerous restaurants. Just beyond the edge of the forest to the North West is a modern shopping centre called "Galeria Podkowa".

Education

There are 3 schools in the town, junior, primary and high school.

Popular culture

The 2021 movie "In For a Murder" was set in Podkowa Leśna

Smart City

In 2018, Podkowa Leśna was selected as a model Orange Smart City. Fibre to the property FTTP is available to residents and offers speeds of up to 1 GB/s.

Gallery

File:Podkowa Lesna house-2.jpg, A villa in Podkowa Leśna Podkowa Lesna house-traditional.JPG,

Villa Aida Villa Aida is a historic wooden building constructed in the 19th century, located at 7 Jarosława Iwaszkiewicz Street, Podkowa Leśna, Poland. History The villa was built by Stanisław Wilhelm Lilpop circa 1900.Proszę, Podkowa Leśna – hospita ...

Pałacyk w parku.jpg, Former casino File:Church in Podkowa Leśna IMG 20191216 093714982 HDR.jpg, St Christopher Church File:THE HUNGARIAN 1956 UPRISING, XXXTH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATING PLATE, AT PODKOWA LESNA CHURCH, POLAND, PHOTO OF 11 MAY 2024.jpg, Plaque commemorating the 30th anniversary of the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

at the St Christopher Church File:THE HUNGARIAN WARRIORS TOMBS AT PODKOWA LESNA CEMETERY, POLAND, PHOTO OF 11 MAY 2024.jpg, Hungarian soldiers tombs from WW2 File:Podkowa Lesna Main Station 2020.jpg, Main railway station File:The Tomb of The Unknown Home Army Warriors near Dębak Forest District, Poland, photo of 6 April 2014.jpg, Tomb of The Unknown

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

Partisans near the Dębak Forester's Lodge (at the neighbouring "Lasy Młochowskie" area)

References

External links

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Jewish Community in Podkowa Leśna
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Cities and towns in Masovian Voivodeship Grodzisk Mazowiecki County