The Radisson Blu Sobieski Hotel, formerly known as the Hotel Jan III Sobieski, is a postmodern fourstar hotel in Warsaw, Poland, located at 1 Artur Zawisza Square within the Ochota district. It was opened in 1992.
History
The building was designed by Wolfgang Triessing and Maciej Nowicki, thought according to some sources it was Hans Piccotini instead.Encyklopedia Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 265. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish)Błażej Brzostek: Wstecz. Historia Warszawy do początku. Warsaw: Muzeum Warszawy, 2021, p. 81. ISBN 978-83-959638-3-4. (in Polish) It was constructed between 1990 and 1992, as a joined venture of PKO Bank Polski and Bank Pekao. Its original painting scheme of blue, yellow, brown, and orange stripes caused controversies and criticism.Mateusz Bzówka, Ewelina Klećkowska: OCH. Ilustrowany atlas architektury Ochoty. Warsaw: Centrum Architektury, 2016, p. 20. ISBN 978-83-943750-2-7. (in Polish)
In 2006, the building was sold to company Warimpex and begun being operated by the Vienna International Hotels. In 2011, it was again sold to Wenaasgruppen, which chose Rezidor Hotels and Resorts as a new operator. It was also incorporated into the Radisson Blu brand, becoming one of its two hotels in Poland.
In 2023, the building was repainted into a uniform light grey colour scheme. The city conservator-restorer filed an application for the building to be listed on the heritage list, which would allow to preserve the original paintscheme, however, it was rejected.
Architecture The building has a postmodern design, with a large glass-covered dome at the top, evoking a look of tenement house from the turn to the 20th century. It has seven storeys and a total floor area of 28,850 m2.Marta Leśniakowska: Architektura w Warszawie. Warsaw: Arkada Pracownia Historii Sztuki, 2005, p. 148. ISBN 83-908950-8-0. (in Polish) The hotel has 435 guest rooms.
References