In June and July 2026, students from the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology and the Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung at Technische Universität Berlin are working together on the former villages absorbed by Warsaw as the city expanded. The international urban planning and architecture workshops are part of the “Wsie Warszawy” project and ask whether old rural layouts can become tools for designing metropolises that are more sustainable, resilient, and rooted in local identity.

Former villages are not just a closed chapter in the history of cities. Their traces are still present: in the routes of streets, plot boundaries, place names, local stories, greenery, and everyday ways of using space. Recognising this layer of the city opens up a different perspective on today’s urban challenges: developing local centres, protecting landscapes, adapting to climate change, thinking about food security, and building stronger district identities.

The Warsaw–Berlin workshops combine research and design. Participants work in mixed Polish-German teams, analysing selected former village sites and developing proposals for their contemporary interpretation. The first week took place in Warsaw, where field research, conversations, and close observation of the local context formed the basis of the work. The second week takes place in Berlin, where the final design concepts will be developed. This format brings together direct contact with specific places and a comparative perspective on two European metropolises.

The collaboration between the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology and the Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung at Technische Universität Berlin has a long history. Since 1990, the two universities have jointly organised workshops on spatial planning in Warsaw and Berlin. The themes alternate between the two cities, and students work in international teams. This year’s edition, taking place during the 35th anniversary of the city partnership between Warsaw and Berlin, places “Wsie Warszawy” within a broader conversation about how cities remember their beginnings – and how this memory can be used to design their future.

The “Wsie Warszawy” project is run by the Bęc Zmiana Foundation and co-financed by the City of Warsaw and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.

Partners: Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology; Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung, Technische Universität Berlin.

In cooperation with: National Institute of Rural Culture and Heritage; Goethe-Institut.

Media patronage: NN6T.

Academic supervision:
Mikołaj Gomółka, Leszek Wiśniewski – Warsaw University of Technology
Jan Polivka – Technische Universität Berlin

Project curator:
Bogna Świątkowska – Bęc Zmiana Foundation

www.wsiewarszawy.pl