Square of the Three Crosses

Plac Trzech Krzyży was established at the crossroads of old routes leading from Old Warsaw (Nowy Świat Street) to Solec (Książęca Street), Ujazdowa (Wiejska Street), Rakowiec (Mokotowska Street) and Grzybowa (Bracka Street). The crossroad was smaller than the current square, and until the middle of the 18th century, in the northern part, along today's Żurawia Street and further along the gorge of Ksiazeca Street, the Żurawka River flowed to the Vistula.

Around 1725 on the square, two columns were crowned with gilded crosses, marking the beginning of the Way of the Cross of Ujazdowska Kalwaria, funded by King August II. The road led to the Tomb of Christ, located at the Ujazdowski Castle, which was to be rebuilt into a church and monastery. The devotional foundation of the king gave rise to today's Aleje Ujazdowskie.

In 1756, to commemorate the end of paving Warsaw streets and bring the pavement to this place, the great grand marshal Franciszek Bieliński placed near the outlet of the present Wiejska Street, a statue of St. John of Nepomuk holding the cross in his hands. This cross became the third cross in this place, hence in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, a square was created around them square called the Three Golden Crosses Square, the Golden Crosses Square, but also the crossroads of the Golden Crosses or the place next to the Golden Crosses on the New World. Other names used include Plac pod Figurami, Alexander Square and St. Alexander. The current name was officially given in 1919. In 1787, a marketplace was set up in the square, and in 1831 it was paved.

In the years 1818-1825, the classicist church of St. Aleksandra designed by Christian Piotr Aigner. The square was settled and named Aleksander's square in honor of Tsar Alexander I. In 1827, on the eastern side of the square, the classical building of the Institute of the Deaf was built. The one-storey main body of the building was added in the years 1873-1874 to the next floor. In this form, it has been preserved to this day.

In the years 1947-1949, in the western part of the square, the building of the State Economic Planning Commission was built, designed by the architects Stanisław Bieńkuński and Stanisław Rychłowski. The monumental building, referring to the representative architecture of the 1930s, was the first post-war building in Warsaw made of prefabricated elements (bricks from rubble concrete). Currently, the building is the seat of the Ministry of Enterprise and Technology.

In September 1985, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Polish People's Movement, a memorial to Wincenty Witos was unveiled in the south-eastern part of the square.

In the years 1996-1998, at the corner with Książęca, the Holland Park office building was erected, which - after completion of the construction of the Sheraton Hotel in 1996 - filled in the missing fragment of the frontage of the square on the eastern side.

Institute for the Deaf

The Institute was established on October 23, 1817 at the initiative of priest. Jakub Falkowski. Initially, he was located at the University of Warsaw in the Kazimierzowski Palace, and in the years 1820-1827 in the house of the visiting sisters at Krakowskie Przedmiescie.

On April 26, 1826, the Institute's headquarters was erected at Plac Trzech Krzyży. The construction was completed in 1827. In 1842, a school for the blind was established at the Institute; The Institute received the name "Institute for the Deaf and Blind" used until 1962. In the years 1867-1885, the function of the director of the institution was held by Jan Papłoński, who introduced changes contributing to the development of this institution. In 1865, his project involved the establishment of a farm where deaf people from the village could train in farm work.

In 1919 a kindergarten for deaf children was established, and in 1934 - a basic vocational school for the deaf.

The students of the Institute received vocational and general education. They repeatedly demonstrated patriotic attitudes, taking part in the school strike in 1905 and fighting in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, composed of 1107 Platoon of the Home Army.

October 26, 1944, the Germans set fire to the Institute building. The reconstruction was completed in August 1948.

In 1983, the Institute received the name of its founder - Father Jakub Falkowski.

Currently, the center provides pre-school, primary, middle and high school education as well as individual teaching. Pupils use speech therapy, psychological and pedagogical care. For parents of deaf children, Polish sign language courses are organized.

Church of St. Alexander

The church was built in the years 1818-1826 in the classical style according to the design of Piotr Aigner in honor of Tsar Alexander I. Tsar came to Warsaw for the first time on November 12, 1815. The city wanted to greet him with a temporary triumphal gate set in a square under three crosses, then on her place to build a monument. However, in a letter addressed to the Senate president, the tsar ordered funds earmarked for this purpose for building a church.

The cornerstone for the construction was laid on June 15, 1818. In substitution for the illegitimate governor of the Kingdom of Poland, General Józef Zajączek, the Minister of Revenue and Treasury Węgliński laid the stone.

The construction lasted eight years and on June 18, 1826, the church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Warsaw, the Primate of the Kingdom of Poland Wojciech Skarszewski. The local parish was the fifth in Warsaw, and the first parish priest was priest Jakub Falkowski (sinful Kuba - as he called himself). He was a parish priest until the beginning of 1837, he renounced his function and retired.

In the years 1841-1844 on the corner of Ksiazęka street and Trzech Krzyży square (present number "23") a parish house was built according to the design of Józef Lessel, the builder was Antonio Corazzi. In this house, on the night of 16 to 17 January 1863, in the flat of the vicar, Father Karol Mikoszewski, the National Central Committee met, which established the date of the January Uprising and the Central Committee as a Provisional National Government. In 1865, this house was confiscated and sold. The new presbytery was built only in 1900-1902 according to the design of Tomasz Bielski at Książęca street (present number 21).

In the years 1886-1895, it was rebuilt in the Neo-Renaissance style by Józef Pius Dziekoński.

On June 5, 1943, the Germans arrested members of the "Osa" organization in the temple - "Kos 30", who took part in a friend's wedding ceremony there.

The temple was destroyed as a result of bombing by the Germans in 1944 (9 or 11 September) and rebuilt in the years 1949-1952 in the classical style - restored its appearance from before the reconstruction in the nineteenth century. In 1951, the left tower was demolished from the war damage.

Wincenty Witos

Born. January 21, 1874 in Wierzchosławice, died October 31, 1945 in Krakow - Polish politician, activist of the people's movement, three-time prime minister of the Republic of Poland. From 1895, the People's Party, in the years 1908-1914, he was a member of the Galicia National Sejm, from 1909 to 1931, the head of Wierzchosławice. Member of the Austrian State Council (1911-1918), from 1914 in PSL "Piast" (president of the group in 1918-1931) and in the Supreme National Committee, later in the National League (1917-1918), president of the Polish Liquidation Commission. From 1919 a deputy to the Polish Seym. He served three times as prime minister (from 24 July 1920 to 13 September 1921, from 28 May 1923 to 14 December 1923 and from 10 May 1926 to 14 May 1926), his government was overthrown as a result of the May coup. In the years 1929-1930, one of the Centrolew leaders. In 1930, he was arrested by the sanacja authorities, imprisoned in the Brest fortress, accused in the so-called The Brest-Litovsk trial for the coup d'état, sentenced to 1.5 years in prison, went to emigrate to Czechoslovakia. He returned to the country just before the outbreak of World War II, after its commencement interned by the Germans, he rejected the proposal to form a collaborative government. After the war, he was appointed vice-chairman of the National National Council (he did not take up his duties), in 1945 he was the president of the newly formed Polish People's Party.