Magical views of the city skyline, lush greenery around, beautiful plants, colorful flowers and an atmosphere like in Hogwarts or Hobbiton… You are probably wondering what exotic place we are talking about? We bet you’ll be surprised: it’s about the gardens on the roof of the University of Warsaw Library.
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Garden on the roof of the University of Warsaw Library – visit
Do you think that library is a dull, boring place? Never be fooled by stereotypes. When it comes to University of Warsaw Library, even the building itself invites you to visit.
At the entrance, we are greeted by an intensely pink grate from the old library building, a green façade with climbing plants and a glass wall with an entrance door. Architecturally, it looks very good (in our opinion, we know that not everyone agrees with us). To get to the rooftop garden, we go through a long corridor with colossal high walls and a glass ceiling.
The rooftop garden was opened on June 12, 2002 (on Wiolczi’s birthday!). It is divided into two parts: lower and upper. Its total area is over a hectare! Flowers and bushes grow along the paths for walkers. It looks really lovely. It’s hard to believe that all this is almost in the center of Poland’s largest city.
Do you know the American screenwriter Wes Anderson? He is the director of the famous ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ who is obsessed with symmetry. We found the perfect frame for his film, just look below. And a moment later, search Instagram #accidentallywesanderson and compare.
There is such an installation in the lower part of the garden. In our opinion, it is similar to the world-famous tropical botanical gardens in Singapore. You don’t need to go to Asia anymore. All you have to do is come to the capital city of Poland. Visit both and judge for yourself which place you like more.
The upper garden is clearly divided into four different sections: gold, silver, carmine and blue. As you can probably guess, individual zones take their names from the dominant colors of plants. And so in the golden part you will find, sunny forsythias, in the silver – shrub cinquefoil with white flowers, in the carmine – red-leaved barberry, and in the blue – clematis Cassandra.
Warsaw University Library Garden garden is really worth visiting several times a year. It will look different each time. For example, look at this corridor where the vines are climbing. In late summer, the leaves will probably form a dense tunnel.
Time for the the best vantage point in the entire garden. Here you will feel like on the roof of the world. You will see the Vistula River, boulevards, the Copernicus Science Centre, Kazimierz Górski’s National Stadium and even a piece of Praga (a district of Warsaw, not a Czech city). You will see that capital city of Poland is really green in spring and summer!
And here is the other side of the coin. It is enough to turn 180 degrees and walk only a few dozen meters to completely change the point of view. The Palace of Culture and Science with glass skyscrapers on the horizon makes a huge impression. This picture fits nicely with the natural elements of the landscape. That’s real urban jungle.
If you see such a mysterious round window covered with vines, don’t hesitate for a moment. Be sure to take a look inside. There is only one rule: don’t touch the glass surface under any circumstances. (Unless you want to clean all the windows of the library afterwards.)
Spoiler alert! Through the magic window you can look into the reading room of the University of Warsaw Library. A really well-designed room. By the way, it turns out that there is still a group of students who read books in a more traditional format than .pdf. For voyeurs, standing in this window can be a really interesting activity.
We finish the trip to the University of Warsaw Library Gardens happy, smiling and overloaded with endorphins. We can also advise you at the end that it’s the perfect place for a date. Gentlemen, (almost) all girls like such romantic vibes. And if you tell them something interesting facts about this place… Success guaranteed.
Rooftop Garden in Warsaw – opening hours
The garden is open every day, all year round, but at different times.
- 01/04 – 30/04: 8am-6pm.
- 01/05 – 30/09: 8am-8pm.
- 01/10 – 31/10: 8am-6pm.
- 01/11 – 31/03: 8am-3pm.
Garden on the roof in Warsaw – price
Entrance to the garden on the roof in Warsaw is free. It’s really fair and our favorite price.
Warsaw University Library Garden – how to get?
The garden on the roof of the University of Warsaw Library is located at 56/66 Dobra Street in Warsaw. You can get here both by car and public transport:
- Bus. The nearest you will have from the Biblioteka Uniwersytecka and Dobra stops, a bit further from the Karowa stop.
- Subway. From the Metro Centrum Nauki Kopernik station (M2), you can walk to the rooftop gardens in 10 minutes.
Gardens of the University of Warsaw Library – tips
- Before visiting the rooftop gardens, read the rules to avoid unpleasant surprises at the entrance.
- I don’t think we need to write to anyone that you are not allowed to litter here, destroy plants and drink alcohol.
- It may be less obvious, however, that children under the age of 16 can stay here only under the care of their parents or legal guardians.
- Only foot traffic is allowed – leave bicycles, scooters, roller skates, roller skates and skateboards at home.
- Unfortunately, animals are not allowed in the gardens, so you will not be able to show this beautiful place to your pet (only guide dogs can come in).
Rooftop gardens in Warsaw – review
- Patrix – 10/10. Very cool place! Walking around the rooftop garden in the center of the capital city is pure pleasure. It’s a definite ‘must-see’ in Warsaw. There is a lot of green here. Atmosphere like from Harry Potter. In a word: a fairy tale. Truly recommend!
- Wiolczix – 9/10. On a sunny spring afternoon, it’s just wonderful here. Greenery around you, only blue sky above you… You are happier right away, endorphins are jumping. Someone came up with a great idea to develop the roof of the library in this way. From the vantage points, the city looks really nice – on the one hand you can see the Vistula River with the National Stadium in the background, on the other you have a view of the with blue skyscrapers and the Palace of Culture and Science. The library building fits perfectly into the scenery, and its shapes add a bit of magic to the garden. We walked here for over an hour and we didn’t get bored at all. As a leading Travel-Mates spy, I especially liked the opportunity to look through the window into the reading room. The only drawback is that not all places are perfectly cared for and maintained.
Gardens on the roof of the University of Warsaw Library – frequently asked questions
Is there a fee for Gardens on the Roof of the University of Warsaw Library?
No, entry to the Gardens on the Roof of the University of Warsaw Library BUW is free.
How to enter the Gardens on the Roof of the University of Warsaw Library?
The entrance to the University Library Garden is located at ul. Dobra 56/66 in Warsaw’s Powiśle district in the Śródmieście district.
Gardens on the Roof of the University of Warsaw Library – is it possible to bring a dog in?
The regulations of the Roof of the University of Warsaw Library prohibit the introduction of any animals to its premises (except guide dogs for blind people).
Who designed the Gardens on the Roof of the University of Warsaw Library
The garden on the roof of the University Library in Warsaw is a project of Polish landscape architect – Irena Bajerska.
Garden on the roof of the University of Warsaw Library – map
The Gardens of the University of Warsaw Library are located in Powisle, in the Srodmiescie district, right on the left bank of the Vistula.
