Superman set to appear on Nowy Świat?
As part of the street's rehab, which will transform much of the capital's classiest shopping thoroughfare into a pedestrian zone, state telephone giant Telekomunikacja Polska SA (TPSA) is planning to put up 30 new phone booths.
Unlike the old one-legged, or open-air, pay phones that exposed callers to the elements and prevented superheros from donning their costumes in private, the new telecommunications centers will be olive-green booths replete with a door.
Some of the booths will be paired, while others will stand alone. Each single will also be adapted for the disabled, and each pair will have at least one disabled-accessible booth.
TPSA is going to the trouble and expense of replacing the existing phones with new booths, because the old ones weren't that attractive and so didn't encourage callers, said Ryszard Iwan, a company spokesman.
And while generally more upscale than the older phone stands, the new booths also will not feature advertising. TPSA does not want to let commonplace items like ads "scare people off," Iwan said.
Since the negotiations with the booth producer are under way, Iwan would neither disclose the name of the company that will furnish the booths nor give details on their cost.
But those anxious to see what the new booths look like can venture to Krak-w. Iwan said that TPSA is negotiating with a Polish company and that the same type of booths being considered are already on the streets of the Old Town in Krak-w.
The new booths are expected to make their debut here by the end of this month. While the drapings may be new, the booths will house today's standard pay telephones, which accept either cards or coins and are produced by Polish company Urmet.
Bielany
In late February, Bielany Municipal Council passed a decree returning pre-war property, seized by the state after 1945, to its former owners. But those seeking restitution may have to wait some time before receiving compensation.
So far, 650 applicants have filed property claims. Under the new law, the lost property will be "returned" to its owners for 5% of the market price to be paid in installments. The first installment will amount to 15% of the price while the rest will be paid in 1% installments annually.
The former owners will receive their property with a 99-year lease, the so-called "dzierýawa wieczysta." If the Warsaw province accepts the new law - the vote was scheduled for before Easter - the municipality will begin to implement it one month after the decision.
But the hitch comes at this point in the process. The municipal commission qualified to assess the value of the privatized property "can visit two, at the most, three houses a day, so the former owners will not get their property immediately," said Marian Romaniuk, press spokesman for the municipality.
At this rate, those who have so far filed claims could have to wait nearly one year before an assessment is made. Subsequent claims could take even longer to process.
Praga Poludnie
Residents of Praga Poludnie are just about a year away from having a new shopping center and supermarket in their district. The King Cross Center, being built between ul. Ostrobramska and Kanal Kaweczynski, is now scheduled for completion in April 1997. The center, started last September, will be a 25,000 square-meter project. It will include a 16,000 square-meter supermarket, shops from 200 square meters to 1,000 square meters, a restaurant, and 1,500 parking places.
The name of the megamarket/shopping center is the same as that of the Italian-Polish company launching the venture. The major shareholder is an Italian company, Coimpredil, while minority shareholders include, Krzysztof Staniszewski, a Pole who a few years ago came up with the idea to build a supermarket and brought in foreign investors.
Within the center, the supermarket will be leased to a French company, Casino Géant, and developers said the remaining space has also been pre-let. Rents have ranged from DM 20 to DM 60 ($14-$41) per sqm.
The project is expected to cost DM 34 million ($23 million) and the developers expect to make back their investment within eight years, Staniszewski said. But King Cross Center does not plan to stop at just one megamarket. The company hopes to open similar megamarkets in other cities.
Unlike the old one-legged, or open-air, pay phones that exposed callers to the elements and prevented superheros from donning their costumes in private, the new telecommunications centers will be olive-green booths replete with a door.
Some of the booths will be paired, while others will stand alone. Each single will also be adapted for the disabled, and each pair will have at least one disabled-accessible booth.
TPSA is going to the trouble and expense of replacing the existing phones with new booths, because the old ones weren't that attractive and so didn't encourage callers, said Ryszard Iwan, a company spokesman.
And while generally more upscale than the older phone stands, the new booths also will not feature advertising. TPSA does not want to let commonplace items like ads "scare people off," Iwan said.
Since the negotiations with the booth producer are under way, Iwan would neither disclose the name of the company that will furnish the booths nor give details on their cost.
But those anxious to see what the new booths look like can venture to Krak-w. Iwan said that TPSA is negotiating with a Polish company and that the same type of booths being considered are already on the streets of the Old Town in Krak-w.
The new booths are expected to make their debut here by the end of this month. While the drapings may be new, the booths will house today's standard pay telephones, which accept either cards or coins and are produced by Polish company Urmet.
Bielany
In late February, Bielany Municipal Council passed a decree returning pre-war property, seized by the state after 1945, to its former owners. But those seeking restitution may have to wait some time before receiving compensation.
So far, 650 applicants have filed property claims. Under the new law, the lost property will be "returned" to its owners for 5% of the market price to be paid in installments. The first installment will amount to 15% of the price while the rest will be paid in 1% installments annually.
The former owners will receive their property with a 99-year lease, the so-called "dzierýawa wieczysta." If the Warsaw province accepts the new law - the vote was scheduled for before Easter - the municipality will begin to implement it one month after the decision.
But the hitch comes at this point in the process. The municipal commission qualified to assess the value of the privatized property "can visit two, at the most, three houses a day, so the former owners will not get their property immediately," said Marian Romaniuk, press spokesman for the municipality.
At this rate, those who have so far filed claims could have to wait nearly one year before an assessment is made. Subsequent claims could take even longer to process.
Praga Poludnie
Residents of Praga Poludnie are just about a year away from having a new shopping center and supermarket in their district. The King Cross Center, being built between ul. Ostrobramska and Kanal Kaweczynski, is now scheduled for completion in April 1997. The center, started last September, will be a 25,000 square-meter project. It will include a 16,000 square-meter supermarket, shops from 200 square meters to 1,000 square meters, a restaurant, and 1,500 parking places.
The name of the megamarket/shopping center is the same as that of the Italian-Polish company launching the venture. The major shareholder is an Italian company, Coimpredil, while minority shareholders include, Krzysztof Staniszewski, a Pole who a few years ago came up with the idea to build a supermarket and brought in foreign investors.
Within the center, the supermarket will be leased to a French company, Casino Géant, and developers said the remaining space has also been pre-let. Rents have ranged from DM 20 to DM 60 ($14-$41) per sqm.
The project is expected to cost DM 34 million ($23 million) and the developers expect to make back their investment within eight years, Staniszewski said. But King Cross Center does not plan to stop at just one megamarket. The company hopes to open similar megamarkets in other cities.
