A street extends from a place where Kawęczyńska Street and Radzymińska Street cross each other with Targowa Street. The street has been restored and it’s getting prettier. In 1998 it got a tittle of one of the few Warsaw’s magical places in a competition organized by “Gazeta Wyborcza”. The street’s name derives from the place where it led to-Wola Ząbkowska (since the XVIIIth century-Ząbki). Because of street’s cobbled surface it had been called Cobbled Street since 1791 and it was an important track which went to east. It existed in the XVIth century and was a frontier between Praga(village) and Skaryszew. In the XVIIIth century there were 20 houses and Szmulc Zbytkower’s farm (nowadays there is an Alcohol plant).
   The chime of a tram rang out there on the 19th February 1919 for the first time. A railway line between Targowa Street and Markowska Street was activated then. By the end of June and beginning of July 2000 trams’ scrape and rattle became a history. Ząbkowska Street was closed for railway line. Ząbkowska Street is one of few streets in Warsaw where many relics, even run-down, still exist. At the beginning of Ząbkowska Street, which started from crossroads with Targowa Street, on the odd side there is an empty square. During the occupation there was games and amusement center, colloquiqlly called “10 pociech”. Old habitants have many memories of those times when they could go there and play popular “three cards” or “three cities”. Instead of shooting to aimon a rifle-range people aimed with weight hanged on a string.

   All odd side of Ząbkowska Street from Targowa Street to Brzeska Street is filled by apartment houses from the end of XIXth century, which are protected by warden of relics. Small chapels, which remember times of the II world war can often be met in the yards. The area of crossroads of Targowa Street and Markowska Street was a place, where from 1770 to 1889 were Ząbkowskie turnpikes. Fees from merchants from Grodno, Białystok and other farther, east cities were charged there. Turnpikes were wound up, when Szmulowizna was included to Warsaw. Since 1897 on their place has been still existing alcoholic plant called “Retyfikacja Warszawska”, later “Warszawskie Zakłady Spirytusowe”, nowadays “Warszawska Wytwórnia Wódek Koneser”.Street is filled by apartment houses from the end of XIXth century, which are protected by warden of relics. Small chapels, which remember times of the II world war can often be met in the yards. The area of crossroads of Targowa Street and Markowska Street was a place, where from 1770 to 1889 were Ząbkowskie turnpikes. Fees from merchants from Grodno, Białystok and other farther, east cities were charged there. Turnpikes were wound up, when Szmulowizna was included to Warsaw. Since 1897 on their place has been still existing alcoholic plant called “Retyfikacja Warszawska”, later “Warszawskie Zakłady Spirytusowe”, nowadays “Warszawska Wytwórnia Wódek Koneser”.
   In old, scratched house at 41 Ząbkowska Street there was unattractive café “Zakopianka”, whereas the house itself has its own history: In the early 1990s occupants of that house were evicted. However, the ramshackle house had been terrifying with its appearance for the next years. Crew of Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna started to knock it down in March 1999, at last. There was a crowd of people and journalists watching it. Unfortunately, the house which had belonged to that place for so many years, didn’t want to give up so fast. Pyrotechnists tried to explode it twice. When they finally managed to do that it turned out that one of the walls fell on the next building. Fortunately, there were no victims…

© Gimnazjum 30