Stara Prochownia () also known as the Bridge Gate () is a historic building in

Warsaw New Town New Town, historically known as New Warsaw, is a neighbourhood, and an area of the City Information System, in the city of Warsaw, Poland, located within the district of Śródmieście. The town of New Warsaw had been established in the early 15 ...

. It is located on ''ulica Boleść'', just below the New Town and the

Warsaw Barbican The Warsaw Barbican () is a barbican (semicircular fortified outpost) in Warsaw, Poland, and one of few remaining relics of the complex network of historic fortifications that once encircled Warsaw. Located between the Old and New Towns, it is a m ...

, on the

Vistula River The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra ...

escarpment.

History

The building was initially constructed in 1582 by Queen Anna I of Poland as one of the gates in the city walls of Warsaw. Unlike other gates, it was built to prevent fire from spreading from the densely built-up Old Town to the newly built wooden bridge that crossed the river. The gate gained the name ''Brama Mostowa'' (Bridge Gate). Although the bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1603, and subsequent bridges were built to the south, the name stuck. In the 17th century, when the city walls lost their strategical significance in warfare, the gate was converted into a gunpowder depot, which gave its name to the contemporary name. Expanded between 1648 and 1649 it served its new role until 1769, when it was converted into a city prison. Around that time it was also expanded (possibly by Jakub Fontana) along the Boleść Street. Further expansion was done between 1796 and 1806. Following the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

and the Russian decision to erect the

Warsaw Citadel Warsaw Citadel (Polish language, Polish: Cytadela Warszawska) is a 19th-century fortress in Warsaw, Poland. It was built by order of Tsar Nikolay I of Russia, Nicholas I after the suppression of the 1830 November Uprising in order to bolster im ...

, in 1833 the prison had been liquidated and the building was refurbished to become a private house. After the

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 ...

parts of the building were rebuilt in their 18th century form. In 1994, a plaque was unveiled on the wall of the House of Punishment and Improvement, commemorating the soldiers of the "Dzik" battalion who fought in this place in the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

. Since 2002, the complex houses the educational institution of the Capital City of Warszawy – Capital Center of Cultural Education National Education Commission. The facility is called ''Starej Prochowni SCEK.'' In 2010–2012, the cellars of the building were renovated, including it in the Trail of the Cultural Cellars of the Old Town. At the same time, an amphitheater was built on the northern side of the former moat.

References

External links

*
Stara Prochownia Theatre
{{Coord, 52.251986, 21.011902, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark Buildings and structures completed in 1582 Buildings and structures completed in 1649 Buildings and structures in Warsaw Defunct prisons in Poland Theatres in Warsaw 1649 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Old Town, Warsaw