The regeneration of Praga’s Koneser Factory took a significant step forward today with the official opening of the Polish Vodka Museum – allegedly the first museum of its kind anywhere in the world. Set inside a 19th century distillery that once kept both locals and occupying Russian troops supplied with vodka, the museum forms a key cornerstone of a wider complex that will eventually include offices, apartments, retail units and Poland’s first Moxy Hotel – a style-forward brand falling under the patronage of the Marriott group.The regeneration of Praga’s Koneser Factory took a significant step forward today with the official opening of the Polish Vodka Museum – allegedly the first museum of its kind anywhere in the world. Set inside a 19th century distillery that once kept both locals and occupying Russian troops supplied with vodka, the museum forms a key cornerstone of a wider complex that will eventually include offices, apartments, retail units and Poland’s first Moxy Hotel – a
Speaking at a press conference last week, Andrzej Szumowski, the CEO of the
Polish Vodka Foundation, told assembled journalists that vodka was more than
merely a drink, rather a part of Poland’s DNA, history, heritage and tradition.
“There is no other product,” added Szumowski, “that is so global and so
recognized.”
Raising wry smiles across the packed conference room, neither was Szumowski
reticent about pushing Poland’s claim as being the true home of the drink.
“Poland is the cradle of vodka, and it was only 100 years later that it
appeared in Russia.”
Meticulously detailed, the nerdy elements of the museum are laced by dry
bursts of humor. For instance, one display quotes a 17th century guide that
defines the perfect innkeeper: “the innkeeper shall remain incessantly sober,
alert, watchful and prudent, as fantasy and bedlam are bred by any such human
gathering; dancers inter-mingle with thievery and assailants, to the misery of
all present: some drink while others tussle.” Four-hundred years on, and these
are words that could easily be applied to any number of bars in Warsaw.
Set to become one of the most publicized museums in the country, Mirosław
Nizio’s design seeks to ‘engage viewers and stimulate their senses’, with the
attention to detail going so far as to incorporate old oak vodka barrels into
the floor. Complimenting the experience will be tastings and workshops in the
Vodka Academy Bar, the round-the-clock WuWa bar and Zoni, a restaurant overseen
by Aleksander Baron, arguably Poland’s most maverick chef and a man many will
already recognize for his fiendish devotion to little-known traditions.
Polish Vodka Museum
https://web.facebook.com/MuzeumPolskiejWodki
(Words & Photos: AW)