Służew () is a neighbourhood in Warsaw, Poland, located at the boundary of the districts of Mokotów and Ursynów. It is a residential area with housing estates of apartment buildings, including Służew Fort, Służew nad Dolinką, and Służewiec-Prototypy, as well as single-family neighbourhoods of houses, including Służew-Parcele, and Stary Służew. The area also features several 19th-century historical buildings, such as St. Catherine Church, Krasiński Palace, and two decommissioned fortifications, designated as Fort IIA, and Fort III. The campuses of Warsaw University of Life Sciences and Łazarski University, as well as the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences are also present in the neighbourhood. The area is connected to the Warsaw Metro rapid transit underground system, with the Służew of the M1 line. The area is divided into two City Information System areas: Służew in the west, within the Mokotów district, and Stary Służew (Old Służew) in the east, within the Ursynów district.
Służew dates back to at least the 13th century, when it was a small farming community. In 1238, the St. Catherine Church was founded there, with its Catholic parish becoming the oldest within the current boundaries of Warsaw. It was later rebuilt in the 19th century. In 1245, the village became the property of the knight Gotard of Służew, whose descendants formed the Służewiecki family of the Radwan heraldic clan, who owned this land until the 17th century. In 1776, the Krasiński Palace was constructed there. In 1886, two forts, designated as VIIA and VIII, were built near Służew as part of the series of fortifications of the Warsaw Fortress. They were decommissioned in 1909, and partially demolished in 1913. In 1932, the neighbourhood of villas, known as Służew-Parcele, was developed to the northwest of the village. The entire area was incorporated into Warsaw in 1938. The Warsaw University of Life Sciences campus was established in 1956, and further expanded in the following decades. In the 1960s and 1970s, the housing estates of Służew Fort, Służew nad Dolinką, and Służewiec-Prototypy were developed in the area. In 1995, the Służew station of the Warsaw Metro was opened.
Toponomy The name Służew comes from the archaic Polish word służ, an equivalent to modern służyć, which means to serve. It came from the fact, that historically the area was inhabited by serfs, peasants who served the local noble families. Until the 16th century, the settlement was known as Służewo. It also inspired the name of the nearby neighbourhood of Służewiec, as well as the historic name of Wolica, formerly known as Wola Służewska.
History Until the 20th century
Signs of human settlements from the Stone Age (4000 BCE and 2000 BCE), Bronze Age (3300 BCE to 1200 BCE), and of the Lusatian culture (1300 BCE to 500 BCE) have been found in the area of Warsaw Escarpment and Służewiec Stream.
By 1065, the area was inhabited by the Catholic monks of the Order of Saint Benedict, who founded there their missionary centre. In 1238, the Catholic Parish of St. Catherine was founded by duke Konrad I of Masovia, ruler of the Duchy of Masovia, and erected by bishop Paweł II of Bnin. It is the oldest parish within modern boundaries of Warsaw.Grzegorz Kalwarczyk: Przewodnik po parafiach i kościołach Archidiecezji warszawskiej, vol. 2: Parafie warszawskie. Warsaw: Oficyna Wydawniczo-Poligraficzna Adam, 2015, p. 364, ISBN 978-83-7821-118-1, OCLC 948875463. (in Polish)A. Sołtan-Lipska (editor): Służew i jego kościół. Warsaw: Church of St. Catherine, 2013, p. 743. ISBN 978-83-938420-0-1. (in Polish) At the same time, the Służew Old Cemetery was also founded nearby.Karol Mórawski: Warszawskie cmentarze. Przewodnik historyczny. Warsaw: PTTK Kraj, 1991, p. 87-90. ISBN 83-7005-333-5. (in Polish) Archaeological findings suggest that before that, it was a place of worship of Slavic pagans, with signs of fire burning constantly for several hundred years.Maria Dąbrowska, Magdalena Bis, Wojciech Bis: "Badania archeologiczne kościoła św. Katarzyny i cmentarza na warszawskim Służewie", Ad Rem: Kwartalnik akademicki. Warsaw: University of Warsaw, Międzywydziałowe Towarzystwo Naukowe Badań i Ochrony Swiatowego Dziedzictwa Kulturowego HUMANICA, 2012. ISSN 1899-0495. (in Polish) It is unknown what the first church built there looked like. In the 13th century, a wooden church was built in its place, and was later replaced with a brick structure in the 16th century.Ewa Korpysz: "Przemiany w architekturze kościoła św. Katarzyny na Służewie", Ad Rem: kwartalnik akademicki. Warsaw: University of Warsaw, Międzywydziałowe Towarzystwo Naukowe Badań i Ochrony Swiatowego Dziedzictwa Kulturowego HUMANICA, 2012. ISSN 1899-0495. (in Polish)
By 1238, the village of Służewo (later known as Służew), was placed near Sadurka stream (with Służewiec Stream currently being its only remainder), and owned by the Catholic Order of Canon Regulars of St. Augustin from Czerwińsk nad Wisłą. In 1240, it was acquired by duke Konrad I of Masovia, who then gifted it to his knight and count, Gotard of Służew, on 27 April 1245.Marta Piber-Zbieranowska: Służew średniowieczny. Warsaw: Towarzystwo Naukowe Warszawskie, 2001, p. 145–150. ISBN 8390732858 (in Polish) His descendants became the Służewiecki family of the Radwan heraldic clan, who owned this land until the 17th century.Józef Kazimierski, Ryszard Kołodziejczyk, Żanna Kormanowa, Halina Rostowska: Dzieje Mokotow. Warsaw: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1972, p. 25–26.Marta Piber-Zbieranowska: Służew średniowieczny. Warsaw: Towarzystwo Naukowe Warszawskie, 2001, p. 232–233. ISBN 8390732858 (in Polish) The village came into prosperity in the 16th century thanks to selling its grain to Gdańsk. At the end of the 17th century, the village was bought by king John III Sobieski, and incorporated into the Wilanów Estate. In the following decades, Służew changed owners numerous times. Among them was nobleman August Aleksander Czartoryski, who expanded the agricultural estate of Służew, and financed the rebuilding of the St. Catherine Church in 1742. The template was later again rebuilt in 1848, in the Romanesque Revival style.
In 1776, the Krasiński Palace was built near Służew. It was commissioned by princess Elżbieta Izabela Lubomirska as a gift for her daughter Aleksandra Lubomirska, and son-in-law Stanisław Kostka Potocki.Wiesław Głębocki, Tadeusz Kobyłka: Pałace Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Sport i Turystyka, p. 52. ISBN 9788321728148. (in Polish)Marek Kwiatkowski: Architektura mieszkaniowa Warszawy. Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1989, p. 216. ISBN 83-06-01427-8. (in Polish) In 1822, it became the property of Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, who organised a library there collecting rare and valuable books. He renamed his estate after his family cognomen to Ursynów, which later inspired the name of the modern city district of Ursynów.Tadeusz S. Jaroszewski: Księga pałaców Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Interpress, 1985, p. 67. ISBN 83-223-2047-7. (in Polish) The palace was rebuilt in 1860 in the Renaissance Revival style.Dobrosław Kobielski: Widoki dawnej Warszawy. Warsaw: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1984, p. 111. ISBN 9788303007025. (in Polish) In 1857, it was acquired by the Krasiński family. Its last owner, Edward Bernard Raczyński donated it to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education in 1921.
Between 1818 and 1821, Stanisław Kostka Potocki established the Gucin residence near the St. Catherine Church. Following his death in 1821, his wife, Aleksandra Lubomirska founded there the garden complex of Gucin Grove, which was developed between 1821 and 1830.Barbara Petrozolin-Skowrońska (editor): Encyklopedia Warszawy, vol. 1. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 223. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish). At the turn of the 19th century, there were also built catacombs.
In 1853, near the village, the Yellow Tavern, was opened at the current 204 Wilanowska Avenue. It operated until the beginning of the 20th century under the name Belle-Vue, until it went bankrupt, and the building begun being used for various purposes, including as a dog husbandry, and for housing. In 1966, it was nationalised in an effort to protect it as cultural property, and in 1984, the Museum of the Polish Peasant Movement was opened inside. Currently, the building is located outside the boundaries of Służew, within the City Information System area of Ksawerów.B. Petrozolin-Skowrońska (editor): Encyklopedia Warszawy, Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 1034, . (in Polish)
In 1864, following the abolition of serfdom in Poland, 44 households received a combined land of 342 ha. On 13 January 1867, Służewiec became part of the rural municipality of Wilanów, established as part of the administrative reform in the Kingdom of Poland.Maria Nietyksza, Witold Pruss: Zmiany w układzie przestrzennym Warszawy. In Irena Pietrza-Pawłowska (editor): Wielkomiejski rozwój Warszawy do 1918 r.. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Książka i Wiedza. 1973. p. 43. (in Polish)Wojciech Trzebiński, Adam Borkiewicz: Podziały administracyjne Królestwa Polskiego w okresie 1815-1918 r.: Zarys historyczny. Dokumentacja Geograficzna 1956, vol. 4. Warsaw, 1956. (in Polish)
In 1886, two forts, designated as VIIA and VIII, were built near Służew as part of the series of fortifications of the Warsaw Fortress, erected around Warsaw by the Imperial Russian Army. They were decommissioned in 1909, and partially demolished in 1913.Lech Królikowski: Twierdza Warszawa, Warsaw, 2002. (in Polish)
Early 20th century and the Second World War
In 1900, the Służew New Cemetery was founded at Wałbrzyska Street, as an extension of the Służew Old Cemetery.Marian Gajewski: Urządzenia komunalne Warszawy. Zarys historyczny. Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1979, p. 398. ISBN 83-06-00089-7. (in Polish)
In 1921, the village had 151 inhabitants and 11 households.
In 1932, around 275 ha of farmland to the northwest of Służew was divided and sold out for housing construction. The area was developed into a neighbourhood of villas, known as Służew-Parcele, placed on the axis of Wałbrzyska Street. The Służew Square, surrounded by townhouses, was also developed to the south, at the corner of Puławska and Wałbrzyska Streets. The area became an exclusive neighbourhood for the city's elite, including high-ranking members of the government and military, politicians, businesspeople, and scientists. The villas were designed by numerous noteworthy architects, in various styles, such as Art Deco, modernism, and Polish manor house.
In 1937, the St. Joseph Monastery of the Dominican Order, was built in Służew, at 2 Dominikańska Street.Sługa Boży ojciec Jacek Woroniecki uczy. Lublin: Gaudium, 2006, p. 29. (in Polish) In the 1950s, half of its land was confiscated by the government, and to protect the rest, it was turned into the St. Dominic Church, becoming the seat of a parish which encompassed Służew. A new church building was opened in 1994.
The area was incorporated into Warsaw on 27 September 1938.Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 22 września 1938 r. o przyłączeniu części gmin wiejskich Wilanów i Bródno w powiecie i województwie warszawskim do powiatów południowo-warszawskiego i prasko-warszawskiego w m. st. Warszawie. In: 1938 Journal of Laws. Warsaw. 1938. (in Polish)Marian Marek Drozdowski: Warszawiacy i ich miasto w latach Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej. Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna, 1973, p. 17. (in Polish)