Former forge and stable
The fire brigade building complex is located at ul. Marcinkowskiego 2 and was erected in 1878 according to the design of Józef Orłowski. Intended for the new headquarters of the Prague branch of the Warsaw Fire Department. It was built on the square in the frontage triangle of Sprzeczna Street (today Karol Marcinkowskiego Street), with the front facing Moskwska Street (now Jana Zamoyskiego Street). However, the fire unit from ul. Marcinkowski was established in 1836. At the beginning, it occupied wooden buildings at Jagiellońska Street, and it moved to its current location in 1878, where a modern watchtower was already built. The foundation stone was laid under it by the mayor of the city, Sokrates Starynkiewicz. Around the inner courtyard of the buildings, the most impressive was the two-story office and residential building with a tower from which the firefighter on duty watched the area.
The free-standing buildings surround a square with a trapezoidal shape. The main building of the barracks and the building of the coach house have been preserved to this day. However, a few years ago the fire brigade building was in ruins. There was no 30-meter observation tower rising above the roof, which was demolished in 1954. The pavilion of the former forge and stables, which were destroyed during the Polish People’s Republic, did not survive either.
The fire unit from ul. Marcinkowski was established in 1836. At the beginning it was located in wooden buildings on Jagiellońska Street, it moved to its present place in 1878, where a modern watchtower was built. The foundation stone was laid under it by the mayor of the city, Sokrates Starynkiewicz. Of the buildings erected around the inner courtyard, the most impressive was the one-storey office and residential building topped with a tower from which the firefighter on duty watched the area.
Revitalization
The revitalization and partial reconstruction of the historic watchtower began in 2008. The historic façades and the observation tower were reconstructed and the ceilings and the roof structure were replaced. The former smithy and stables pavilion was also rebuilt, where old fire engines were gathered, including a replica of a horse-drawn snow gun from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a 1922 Chevrolet car, post-war Star 21 and Star 25 cars and a ladder on a Magirus Deutz truck chassis.
The seat of the Prague branch of the Warsaw Fire Brigade serves its purpose to this day. Currently, it is called: Rescue and Fire Fighting Unit No. 5. It is the oldest building in Warsaw built for the needs of the fire brigade.