The luxurious house at 72 Ryżowa Street in Warsaw's Ursus was once supposed to delight. Behind a huge gate and a row of trees, for years there was one of the most impressive villas in Warsaw. A private swimming pool, tennis court, jacuzzi and mirrored ceilings – these were the conditions one of the richest Poles was supposed to have, and the history of the building is recalled by the “MuratorPlus” website. The building fell into ruin and its place will be taken by modern blocks of flats. The developer itself has not yet announced the start and end of the investment in Ursus.
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Just two decades ago, Ursus was an industrial district with two faces. One is workers' housing estates, inhabited mainly by people employed at Zakłady Mechaniczne “Ursus”, the largest employer in the area. The second face is small, usually two-story blocks of flats and private villas. One of them stood out for its splendor.
According to Internet users, it was lived by Leonard Praśniewski, the fourth richest Pole according to the “Wprost” ranking from 1990. As explained by the “MuratorPlus” website, he was the owner of the INTER-KIM company and the Leonard private bank in Zielonka. In later years, his name began to disappear from the media, and the house itself fell into oblivion.
Why will they destroy the millionaire's villa? The swimming pool and tennis court are disappearing under the excavators
The estate in Ursus itself still remains – like its owner – very mysterious. It is unknown why such a luxurious estate was abandoned.
However, we do know what the future holds for the villa and the surrounding area. According to the “MuratorPlus” website, the current owner of the plot is DWE Group, which plans to build a modern housing estate.
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In 2024, the developer obtained permission to demolish the building and build apartment blocks. In the first stage of the investment, 59 apartments with areas ranging from 43 to 113 square meters will be built, as well as an underground garage and service premises.
Ursus has been changing very dynamically for over a decade. The former orchards and farmlands have long been developed into housing estates. Also, the area of the tractor factory, known to all of Poland, was largely turned into either warehouse halls for enterprises or turned into further residential estates. The attractiveness of this district may further increase thanks to the planned fifth metro line.
