17:52 1 December 2025
Modernization of PRL apartments will consume billions of PLN
Prefabricated “wielka płyta” apartment blocks, once symbols of rapid PRL-era housing construction, are regaining popularity in Poland after years of decline. Built mainly in the 1960s–1980s to address a postwar housing shortage, they later revealed issues such as weak insulation, installation defects and poor acoustics. Yet their structural durability has held up, and today they attract buyers thanks to central locations, green surroundings, good infrastructure and lower prices compared to new developments. Around 60,000 such blocks house up to 12 million people.
The challenge ahead is modernization: large-scale renovations including thermal upgrades, installation replacements and accessibility improvements. Experts estimate required investments at roughly PLN 200 billion, making it one of Poland’s biggest infrastructure tasks in coming decades.
