The Mier Halls () are two identical market halls in Warsaw, Poland, within the neighbourhood of North Downtown, at 1 Iron Gate Square and 1 Mier Square. They were constructed between 1899 and 1902, and remained the largest commerce location in the city until 1944, when they were destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising. The halls were rebuilt in 1944 and 1962.
History
They were the first market hall complex in Warsaw. They allowed for better organization of trade and improved hygienic conditions of the vendor spaces, thanks to moving them to the inside.Witold Pruss: "Tendencje rozwojowe dzielnic Warszawy", [in:] Irena Pietrza-Pawłowska (editor): Wielkomiejski rozwój Warszawy do 1918 r. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Książka i Wiedza, 1973, p. 229–230. (in Polish)
The cornerstone was laid on 15 October 1899, and the halls were constructed between 1899 and 1902, in place of four deconstructed buildings of the Mier Barracks.Encyklopedia Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 238. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish)Franciszek Galiński: Gawędy o Warszawie. Warsaw: State Publishing Institute PIW, 1960, p. 269. (in Polish) They were named after them, which in turn, were named after Wilhelm Mier, who was their founder and a cavalry major general in the Crown Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.Encyklopedia Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 488. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish) They would later become the namesake of the nearby neighbourhood of Mirów.Kwiryna Handke: Słownik nazewnictwa Warszawy. Warsaw: Slawistyczny Ośrodek Wydawniczy, 1998, p. 120, 138. ISBN 83-86619-97X. (in Polish) The halls were designed by Bolesław Miłkowski (construction), Ludwik Panczakiewicz (façade), Apoloniusz Nieniewski, and Władysław Kozłowski.Encyklopedia Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 379. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish) The complex consisted of two identical market halls, with the length of 95.4 m and width of 42.8 m. Their metal construction was manufactured by company K. Rudzki i S-ka.Ryszard Mączewski: Warszawa między wojnami. Łódź: Księży Młyn, 2009, p. 22. ISBN 978-83-61253-51-8. (in Polish) Above the entrances were placed zinc cartouches depicting the Mermaid of Warsaw.Stefan Krzysztof Kuczyński: Herb Warszawy. Warsaw: Publishing Institute PIW, 1977, p. 70. (in Polish) It total, their construction cost 1.4 million roubles.Stefan Kieniewicz: Warszawa w latach 1795-1914. Warsaw: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1976, p. 238. (in Polish)
The halls were owned by the city, which rented 515 market stalls and stores to the individual vendors. They offered groceries and household appliances. The placement of the stalls was determined by which category of products they offered.
Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the halls included around stalls and stores, and remained the largest commercial facility in the city.Władysław Bartoszewski: 1859 dni Warszawy. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Znak, 2008, p. 87. ISBN 978-83-240-1057-8. (in Polish) They were bordered by two smaller market places, the Guest Court and Janusz Market, and the vendors also set up their stalls on neighbouring streets and at the Iron Gate Square. The area as a whole, was jokingly referred to as the "stomach of Warsaw".Ryszard Mączewski: Warszawa między wojnami. Łodź: Księży Młyn, 2009, p. 88. ISBN 978-83-61253-51-8. (in Polish)Jerzy S. Majewski: Żydowski Muranów i okolice. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Agora, 2012, p. 259. ISBN 978-83-268-0764-0. (in Polish)
During the Siege of Warsaw in 1939, to one of the halls was evacuated the Hospital of the Holy Spirit.Cywilna obrona Warszawy we wrześniu 1939 r. Warsaw: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1964, p. 151. (in Polish) In 1940, next to them was constructed the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto.Grzegorz Mika: "Wiele wcieleń Żelaznej Bramy". Skarpa Warszawska, p. 35, May 2023. (in Polish) In 1941, there operated 1641 market stalls, over twice as much as prior to the conflict.Tomasz Szarota: Okupowanej Warszawy dzień powszedni. Studium historyczne. Warsaw: Czytelnik, 2010, p. 200. ISBN 978-83-07-03239-9. (in Polish) The buildings were heavily damaged in 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising. On 1 August, there was a fight for the east hall, which housed German car workshops. Both halls burned down between 5 and 6 August, following the German attacks towards the Piłsudski Square, which were accompanied by aerial bombings. They were captured by SS-Sonderregiment Dirlewanger, under the command of SS-Sturmbannführer Kurt Weisse (acting commander at that time until 8 August) on 6 August. Local population was forced to work on deconstruction of insurgent barricades, and executed afterwards. Their bodies were then set on fire by the Warsaw Burning Detachment. On 7 August, Polish insurgents successfully rescued a group of people held in the halls. Later, they made two more unsuccessful attempts to recapture the halls, on 13 August, and at night of 30 and 31 August.Piotr Rozwadowski (editor): Wielka Ilustrowana Encyklopedia Powstania Warszawskiego, vol. 1. Warsaw: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona, Fundacja Warszawa Walczy 1939–1945, 2005, p. 370–372. ISBN 83-11-10124-8. (in Polish)
Following the end of the conflict, it was originally decided to not rebuilt the Mier Halls and Iron Gate Square, and instead to build there a public park. However, later the idea was abandoned, and the halls were rebuilt.Magdalena Zubik: "Zalewa kupców przy Hali Mirowskiej". Gazeta Stołeczna, p. 4, Warsaw, 28 November 2024. (in Polish) The East Hall was rebuilt in 1948, and began being used as a provisional bus depot.Marian Gajewski: "Odbudowa warszawskich urządzeń komunalnych (1944–1951)", [in] Warszawa stolica Polski Ludowej. Zeszyt 2. Warsaw: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk, 1972, p. 110. (in Polish) In 1953, it was donated to the Gwardia Militia Sports Club, and the same year, it hosted the European Amateur Boxing Championships, with 5,300 spectators."Kronika wydarzeń w Warszawie 1945−1958". [in:] Warszawskie Kalendarz Ilustrowany 1959, Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Tygodnika Ilustrowanego Stolica, 1958, p. 69. (in Polish)Stefan Szczepłek: "Hala Gwardii. Katedra boksu". Skarpa Warszawska, p. 53–56, Warsaw, June 2020. Later, there were also hosted the 1959 World Weightlifting Championships, as well as tournaments in basketball and fencing, and tennis matches."Kronika wydarzeń w Warszawie 1958−1960". [in:] Warszawski Kalendarz Ilustrowany Stolicy 1962, Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Warszawskiego Tygodnika Stolica, 1961, p. 139. (in Polish) After 1989, it again began housing commercial spaces, with a small portion being relegated to the boxing club Gwardia Warsaw.
In the 1950s, at the wall of the West Hall, was placed a Tchorek plaque commemorating the massacre of civilian population in August 1944.Stanisław Ciepłowski: Napisy pamiątkowe w Warszawie XVII-XX w.. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p. 138. ISBN 83-01-06109-X. (in Polish) The hall was rebuilt in 1962, in accordance to the project by Zbigniew Pawlak, and in November of that year, again began being used as a market place.Krzysztof Jabłoński: Warszawa: portret miasta. Warsaw: Arkady, 1984. ISBN 83-213-2993-4. (in Polish) In the 1960s, it was expanded with a modernist concrete and glass extension, added to its upper eastern façade. In 1974, it began being rented by store Społem, which eventually, had been given its ownership in 1997. In 2008, at the façade of the West Hall was installed one of the Warsaw Ghetto boundary markers. The building itself was renovated in 2011, however bullet holes and other damages dating to the building were preserved in its façade. In 1986 both buildings received the status of protected cultural property. The East Hall was also renovated in 2017, and began to house a marketplace with local and organic food, as well as stores and restaurants. The Feliks Stamm Boxing Museum opened then. The building remains the property of the city.
A marketplace opened next to the halls, which in 2024, housed around 150 businesses.
Characteristics
The Mier Halls are identical two-storey market halls, with a length of 95.4 m and a width of 42.8 m. The complex consists of the West Hall (), at 1 Mier Square, and the East Hall () at 1 Iron Gate Square, which are also alternatively known as the Mier Hall (), and the Guard Hall (), respectively. Above their entrances are placed zinc cartouches depicting the Mermaid of Warsaw. The halls are separated by the Mier Square (), which contains a small market, while to the south they also border the Mier Park. They contain numerous stores, stalls, and restaurants. The West Hall is owned by the city, and the East Hall, by company Społem.
The East Hall, also houses the Feliks Stamm Boxing Museum, dedicated to the history of boxing. Outside the building, in the nearby Mier Park, is also placed a monument dedicated to boxing champion Feliks Stamm.
The façade of the West Hall features a Tchorek plaque commemorating the massacre of civilian population which took place there, during the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, and one of the Warsaw Ghetto boundary markers.Jacek Leociak: Spojrzenia na warszawskie getto. Krochmalna. Warsaw: Dom Spotkań z Historią, 2011, p. 40. ISBN 978-83-62020-26-3.
Gallery
References