When Arkadia opened in Warsaw's Zoliboz neighborhood, we all thought this was it - the mother of all shopping centres, and nothing could top it. Well, we humbly admit we were wrong and the Poles have surprised us again, this time with the architecturally elaborate "Golden Terraces" (Zlote Tarasy). Granted, Arkadia is still almost twice as big size-wise, but style-wise, Zlote Tarasy has got almost any other shopping centre beat - from the smooth moon crater-like roof which opens its view to central Warsaw, to its perfect location right smack in the middle of the city, next to the Central Train Station and Palace of Culture, the Golden Terraces are the perfect symbol of the new Warsaw: stylish, smart, and teeming with life.
Opened on 7 February 2007, the 500 million Euro project is actually a bit behind schedule - its original opening, scheduled for the end of 2005, was pushed back to spring 2006, and finally to February 2007. At 225 thousand square metres, the structure holds 65.5 thousand square metres of commercial space for 200 stores, 43 thousand square metres of office space, a multi-cinema, and about 1,700 parking spaces - enough to turn central Warsaw traffic into even more of a nightmare. The shops inside are of the standard European shopping centre variety - from H&M to a giant Saturn - it's the views, not the shopping, that are enough to satisfy any aesthete.
The completion of the Golden Terraces also brings the end of an era, according to most experts at least. The Terraces are most likely the last big shopping centre project in the city, at least in the centre. These days, developers are looking at smaller cities to build shopping centres in, like Lodz (which also boasts its own recently-opened giant, the Manufaktura) or Poznan, which aren't already flooded with them. Perhaps this means that Warsaw has reached its peak, and is ready to slump into a comfortable metropolitan existence like Paris or Berlin? Judging from all the cranes in the skyline, we doubt it. |