Smolna 8
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Completed: 1976
Architects: Jan Bogusławski and Bohdan Gniewiewski
Genre: Modernist, Communist architecture, former Eastern Bloc
Smolna 8 was the first skyscraper to be erected during Poland’s socialist period (1947-1989). Originally intended as a hotel for visiting Polish citizens who lived overseas, the 19-storey structure was promptly transformed into residential units as the demand for apartments in the city was high at that time. The tower’s most distinguishing feature is the overhanging roof, which was used as an entertainment venue and earned it the nickname of the ‘hammer’.
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