Włochy () is a neighbourhood of Warsaw, Poland, within the northwestern part of the Włochy district. It is a residential area, predominantly consisting of single-family low-rise houses, with a smaller presence of apartment buildings. The neighbourhood is divided into two halves, with New Włochy in the north, and Old Włochy in the south. They form two areas of the City Information System. In the south, the area also includes the historic neighbourhoods of Budski Szczęśliwickie, Solipse, and Wiktoryn. In its centre, the neighbourhood has the Warszawa Włochy railway station. At its boundaries, it also includes stations Warszawa Aleje Jerozolimskie, Warszawa Raków, and Warszawa Ursus Północny. It also features the Koelichen Palace, a neoclassical residence, dating to 1859, and Fort V "Włochy", retired fortifications from 1888. The neighbourhood also has several urban parks, including Combatans Park, Goat Pond Park, Black Grouse Ponds Park, and Space Gardens. Włochy also has two historic churches, the Church of the Epiphany, from 1939, and the Church of Saints Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Roman Martyrs, completed in 1962. They belong to the Lutheran and Roman Catholic denominations, respectively.
Villages of Sopęchy and Stojarty were first recorded in the area of modern Włochy in 1395 and 1493, respectively. They were founded by the Rakowski family of the clan of Radwan, descending from count Gotard of Służew. In the 15th century, the villages of Porzucewo and Solipse, were separated from Sopęchy. In 1452, a portion of Porzucewo was sold to Jan Włoch, and the village was eventually renamed after him to Włochy in the following century. Sopęchy (since 16th century known as Witki) was burned down by the Swedish army in 1656, during the Second Northern War, while Stojarty was recorded for the last time in the 17th century. In 1795, the estate of Włochy was acquired by count Tadeusz Antoni Mostowski, who developed there his residence together with an English landscape garden, which now forms the Combatants Park. In 1859, in its place was constructed the neoclassical residence, known as the Koelichen Palace, and in 1888, the Fort V "Włochy" was built in the area, as part of the city fortifications, known as the Warsaw Fortress. In the second half of the 19th century, the manufacturing industry developed in Włochy. The hamlet of Wiktoryn was also founded nearby. In 1926, the estate was partitioned and sold off for the development of a residential neighbourhood with villa houses. In 1959, a railway station was opened in Włochy, and later, two more stations were opened in nearby Raków and Wiktoryn, as part of the Electric Commuter Railway. In 1930, Włochy became the seat of a new municipality, named after it, which also included Solipse and Wiktoryn. In 1939, all three settlements were merged to form the town of Włochy. In 1951, it was incorporated into the city of Warsaw.
Toponomy The neighbourhood of Włochy was after Jan Włoch, who acquired its portion in 1452, when it was a small village, originally known as Porzucewo. It was first recorded as Włochy in 1517, and in 1523, as Włochy alias Porzucewo. The latter name was eventually completely dropped in the first half of the 16th century. In 1994, the name was also adopted for the city district of Włochy, which includes the neighbourhood. Term Włochy in Polish, also translates to the name of Italy, a country in Southern and Western Europe. However, both locations have different adjectives and demonyms. For the neighbourhood and district, they are "włochowski" and "Włochowianin", while for the country, they are "włoski" and "Włoch", respectively.
History In 1395, the village of Sopęchy was first recorded in the area of the modern Budki Szczęśliwickie Street. In 1493, the village of Stojarty was also recorded in the area of modern Wiktoryn Street. They were founded by the Rakowski family of the clan of Radwan, descending from count Gotard of Służew. In the 15th century, the villages of Porzucewo and Solipse (then known as Solipsy), were separated from Sopęchy. In 1422, the area was owned by the knight Strachota. The nearby Solipse were first recorded in 1435, eventually becoming property of the Solipski family. In 1452, a portion of Porzucewo was sold to Jan Włoch, and the village was eventually renamed after him. In 1517, it was recorded as Włochy, and in 1523, as Włochy alias Porzucewo. The latter name was eventually completely dropped in the first half of the 16th century.Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, pp. 15–19. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish) In the 16th century, Sopęchy became home to the descendants of knight Witek, and eventually was renamed to Witki, while the family adopted the surname Witkowiec. In the first half of the 17th century, the landed estate of Włochy was acquired by Andrzej Leszczyński, the Grand Chancellor of the Crown and the primate of Poland, who built there his manor house around 1650. In 1671, it was used as a hideout by Ulrich von Werdum, one of the organisers of a magnate opposition, attempting to nullify the election of Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki as the king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.Juliusz A. Chrościcki, Andrzej Rottermund: Atlas architektury Warszaw. Warsaw: Arkady, p. 169. ISBN 8301088362. (in Polish) The manor, as well as the village of Witki, were burned down by the Swedish army in 1656, during the Second Northern War, and its area eventually became part of Włochy. The nearby Stojarty was also recorded for the last time in the 17th century. In 1794, the area was also used by Frederick William II, the king of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, as his headquarters during the siege of Warsaw.
In 1795, the estate of Włochy was acquired by count Tadeusz Antoni Mostowski, a politician and statesman, who later would become the minister of interior of the Duchy of Warsaw, and the president of the Government Committee of the Interior of the Kingdom of Poland. Around 1800, he founded his residence there and developed a park around it. In 1842, they were redeveloped as a neoclassical palace and an English landscape garden, respectively. The estate was acquired in 1844 by entrepreneur Andrzej Koelichen. The residence was again rebuilt in 1859, with a design by architect Aleksander Zabienowski. It became known as Koelichen Palace. In 1827, Solipse and Włochy had 262 and 81 inhabitants respectively.Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, pp. 25–27. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish) In the 19th century, the brickworks developed in the area, with the first factory, owned by the Koelichen family, being opened in 1842. The mining of clay in the area, used in the brick production, left behind numerous shallow pits, which then flooded, forming small lakes, such as Black Grouse Ponds and Goat Pond. By the end of the century, a heavy manufacturing industry also developed in the area. In 1845, railway tracks were built passing through the area. In the second half of the 19th century, the hamlet of Wiktoryn was founded to the east of Włochy. In 1859, the Warszawa Włochy station was established for cargo trains, and after 1863, it also opened to passenger service.Robert Gawkowski: Dawno, dawno temu... na Okęciu i we Włochach. Warsaw: Włochy Tonw Hall, 2016, p. 23. (in Polish) Following the abolition of serfdom in 1864, the area was incorporated into the municipality of Skorosze.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, p. 43. 1973. (in Polish) Between 1883 and 1888, the Fort V "Włochy" was constructed by the Imperial Russian Army, between Salomea, Solipse, and Włochy, as part of the city fortifications, known as the Warsaw Fortress. Following its creation, the government enforced construction restrictions on the surrounding area, hindering the development of nearby villages such as Solipse. The fortifications were retired and partially demolished in 1913.Lech Królikowski: Twierdza Warszawa. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Bellona, 2002, ISBN 83-11-09356-3. (in Polish)Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, p. 29. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish) Afterwards, their abandoned buildings were taken over by the impoverished and homeless population of Włochy and Solipse, with several small shacks developing in the area. In 1930, the squatter settlement was inhabited by several families, and by 1939, it had a population of around 300 people.Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, p. 75. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish)
In the 1870s, Włochy had a population of around 160 people, while in the late 1910s, around 500, while Solipse had 214 inhabitants in the year 1800. At the turn of the 20th century, a small impoverished neighbourhood, known as Budki Szczęśliwickie, was developed as an extension of the village of Szczęśliwice. It consisted of small shacks made from wood, metal, and plywood, placed alongside a street extending to the west from the Kraków Road (now Krakowska Avenue), now forming Włodarzewska and Budki Szczęśliwickie Streets.Robert Gawkowski: "Stasiek-Stencel, cegielnia i niedoszły stadion narodowy, czyli po prostu – Szczęśliwice", [in:] Ochotnik, no. 71 (02). Warsaw: Ośrodek Kultury Ochoty, February 2011, pp. 8–9. ISSN 1734-5510. (in Polish)
In 1926, the landed estate of Włochy was partitioned and sold off for the development of a residential neighbourhood with villa houses. It was designed as a garden suburb by Franciszek Krzywda-Polkowski and Miłosław Kotyński, with an average plot of land measuring 700 m2 (7534.7 sq ft).Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, pp. 37–44. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish) The same year, the Włochy Fire Guard, a local fire department, was founded in the same year, and in 1928, the local police station was also opened.Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, pp. 57–61. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish)Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, pp. 80–88. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish) Additionally, in 1928, the garden around the Koelichen Palace was opened to the public as a recreational urban space, known as the Combatants Park. The same year, the Przyszłość Włochy sports club was also founded in the village. In 1930, a wooden chapel was built in New Włochy, becoming the seat of the Roman Catholic Parish of Saints Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Roman Martyrs in 1934. The same year, the Włochy Cemetery was also founded at the intersection of Ryżowa and Zapusta Streets, to the north of Fort V.Karol Mórawski: Warszawskie cmentarze. Przewodnik historyczny. Warsaw: PTTK Kraj, 1991, pp. 101–103. ISBN 83-7005-333-5. (in Polish) In 1931, Włochy had around 1,000 members of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession. From 1933, it had a chapel in Koelichen Palace, and in 1939, it opened the Church of the Epiphany at 22 Cietrzewia Street, as part of the Parish of the Holy Trinity.Robert Gawkowski: Moja Dzielnica Włochy, historia Włoch i Okęcia. Warsaw: Włochy Town Hall, 2010, pp. 87–88. ISBN 978-83-928365-1-3. (in Polish)