"The Black Cat" in Warsaw. The famous unauthorised structure disappeared five years ago

For years, an icon of unauthorised construction in Poland stood at the junction of Okopowa and Powązkowska Streets in Warsaw. The so-called ‘Black Cat’, also known as the ‘My Warsaw Residence’ hotel, finally disappeared from the capital’s skyline in 2021. Its demolition was preceded by nearly 30 years of disputes between the owners and the authorities.

“Czarny Kot” in Warsaw – the beginning

The story of the “Black Cat” began in the late 1980s. A small, single-storey retail pavilion appeared on a plot adjacent to Warsaw’s Powązki Cemetery. It mainly served people visiting the graves. The property’s fortunes changed with the arrival of the 1990s. It was then that a significant and uncontrolled expansion began. Successive extensions were added to the modest pavilion in stages, often without the required permits. The owners adapted the design documentation only after the work had been completed, running a hotel in the enlarged building despite mounting conflicts with the authorities.

An architectural mosaic of unauthorised alterations

Over time, the building reached around 6–7 storeys and a height of nearly 20 metres, whilst its floor area exceeded 2,200 square metres. On this impressive scale, it became visible from a great distance. The form itself also did not go unnoticed by passers-by. What caught the eye above all was the diversity of styles, if one can even describe them as such. In one part of the structure, elements resembling castle towers, semi-circular bay windows, mansard roofs and rather haphazard divisions of the façade appeared, whilst in others, angular, massive forms devoid of such ‘finesse’ dominated. The façades of the “Black Cat” were finished with a mix of materials, including glossy brick and decorations of unspecified function and origin. The building’s surroundings were also full of peculiar touches. Lion sculptures were placed at the entrances, kitschy little columns appeared, and there was even a symbolic “moat” with a bridge spanning it, which only added to the absurdity of the scene. The whole thing looked like an architect’s worst nightmare.

“Czarny Kot” in the past and an empty plot today. Photo: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons and Google Maps

“Czarny Kot” and its interiors

The interior of the building was no different from its exterior. The rooms were dominated by gold detailing, heavy chandeliers and mirrors in ornate frames. Each seemed to vie for the guest’s attention, multiplying the decorations and imitations of luxurious materials. The owners placed statues of wild animals in the hotel, which intensified the theatrical and exaggerated effect. Interestingly, this visual chaos had its admirers. They saw it as an attraction and an expression of the investors’ imagination. Most opinions, however, were negative and pointed to an extreme example of aesthetic chaos.

Demolition of Poland’s most famous unauthorised building

Since the 1990s, the ‘Black Cat’ had been in conflict with the building authorities. Decisions ordering the demolition of unauthorised structures were interspersed with attempts to legalise further sections. The final breakthrough, after nearly 30 years of legal battles, came in 2018. The Supreme Administrative Court in Warsaw issued a final judgement ordering the removal of the illegally added sections. Demolition work began in December 2019. By April 2020, the top storeys, which for years had defined the building’s notorious silhouette, had disappeared. In 2021, another ruling was handed down, this time ordering the handover of the now cleared site to the city. It was then taken over by a bailiff, thus bringing to an end the story of Poland’s most famous case of unauthorised construction. Today, the ‘Black Cat’ exists only in the memories of residents and in archival photographs.

Source: Warsaw City Hall, Wola District

czarny kot w Warszawie