Train to the Archive

Trains have been changing our perception of space for over two hundred years.

The opening of the first railway line in 1825, connecting the English towns of Stockton and Darlington, initiated one of the most important inventions of the 19th century, which revolutionized transport and communication. Rail transport stimulated industrial development and contributed to the growth of cities. The creation of railways also had a huge impact on society, contributing to the exchange of ideas and the development of education. The Warsaw-Vienna Railway, opened in 1845, is considered the first Polish railway line. For the first seventy years of their existence, railways in Polish lands developed independently of each other in the three partitioning powers and were subordinated to the interests of these states. After 1918, the authorities of the reborn Poland undertook a massive effort to integrate different railway systems into a single national railway network.

The largest number of sources for researching the history of Polish railways is stored in the archives of the state archival network. This exhibition aims to showcase the richness and diversity of railway documentation held in the State Archives in Warsaw.

Object:

Warsaw-Vienna Railway Station at Aleje Jerozolimskie, corner of Marszałkowska Street, 1925, photo by Zdzisław Marcinkowski, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1630/0/-/X-195

Curator and content author: Maciej Aleksiejuk

Content and artistic supervision: Magdalena Wiercińska

Graphic design: Anastasia Smyk

Collaboration: Agata Bednarczyk, Monika Mossakowska-Biało, Marek Teler

Exhibition organizer: The State Archives in Warsaw

The exhibition accompanies the “Memory of Railway Generations in the State Archives” campaign organized jointly with PKP S.A

Former Warsaw Railway Stations

Vienna Railway Station (currently Warsaw Śródmieście Railway Station is nearby)

The first station building in Warsaw was the terminus of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway. Opened in 1845, it occupied the northern side of Aleje Jerozolimskie, between Marszałkowska Street and the extension of the current Poznańska Street. By the turn of the century, the station building no longer served its purpose, but the planned reconstruction was never carried out. The Vienna Railway Station building was demolished in 1932 for the construction of the cross-city line. The preserved clock tower was destroyed in 1939. Currently, the site of the former Vienna Railway Station includes the entrance to the Centrum metro station and the area of ​​the Warsaw Śródmieście station.

Petersburg Railway Station (currently Warsaw Wileńska Railway Station is nearby)

Petersburg Railway Station was the terminus of the Warsaw-St. Petersburg Railway. It was built in 1860-1861 on Wileńska Street, near Targowa Street. In front of the station was a large square, next to which a station park was created. The station building burned down in 1915. In its place, the Polish State Railways directorate building was built in 1927-1928. The functions of the former Petersburg Railway Station were assumed by the current Vilnius Railway Station.

Terespol Railway Station (now Warsaw East Railway Station)

Terespol Railway Station, also known as Brześć Railway Station, was the terminus of the Warsaw-Terespol Railway. It was built in 1866-1867 on the southern side of today’s Kijowska Street, on the extension of Markowska Street. The Terespol Railway Station building survived until World War Two. It was destroyed by the Germans in 1944 and it was not rebuilt. Currently, its functions are performed by the Warsaw East Station.

Warsaw Kaliska Railway Station (currently Warsaw Ochota Railway Station is nearby)

Kalisz Railway Station was built in 1902 as a terminus of the broad-gauge Warsaw-Kalisz Railway. It was located on Aleje Jerozolimskie, on the western side of the intersection with Żelazna Street. The eclectic, single-story building, approximately 104 meters long, was designed by Józef Huss. Kalisz Station was the last Warsaw station built during the Russian Partition. It was burned down by the Russians on August 5, 1915. Currently, to the west of the former station site is the Warsaw Ochota station.

Kowel Railway Station (now Warsaw Gdańska Railway Station)

Kowel Railway Station was the main station of the Vistula Railway, built in 1877-1878 within the esplanade of the citadel. It had a wooden structure consisting of two joined single-story buildings. The station was burned down by Russian troops in 1915. Currently, the Warsaw Gdańska station is located on its premises.

Objects:

Warsaw-Vienna Railway Station, 1908–1915, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1622/0/1/IV-243

Petersburg Railway Station in Warsaw, 1908, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/2/30/6

Terespol Railway Station in Warsaw, 1908, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/11/224/47

Warsaw Kaliska Railway Station in Warsaw, 1902, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/1/45/17

Kowel Railway Station, burned down by the Russians in 1915, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1622/0/1/IV-239

Warsaw-Vienna Railway

The first railway line in the pre-partition territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the Warsaw-Vienna Railway, which connected Warsaw with the border of the Austrian partition. The first project for the construction of an “iron road” was presented in 1835 by Count Henryk Łubieński, vice-president of Bank Polski. Industrialist Piotr Steinkeller also became involved in the project, successfully seeking a concession to build the railway line. On November 25, 1838, the joint-stock Warsaw-Vienna Railway Company was established. Construction work began in 1840, but the difficult economic situation and the refusal of government guarantees led to the company’s bankruptcy in 1842. In 1843, the railway line under construction was nationalized. The Warsaw-Vienna Railway Authority was established and resumed field work. The ceremonial opening of the first section of the new railway line, on the route from Warsaw to Grodzisk Mazowiecki, took place on June 14, 1845. The entire Warsaw-Vienna Railway route to Granica station (now in Sosnowiec) was launched in April 1848. The tracks of the new line had the standard track gauge of 1,435 mm, adopted in Western Europe. In 1876, the Warsaw-Vienna Railway was connected to the broad-gauge railway network on the right bank of the Vistula River via a circular railway line and a railway bridge at the Citadel.

The main station of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway was built near the intersection of Aleje Jerozolimskie and Marszałkowska Streets, it was designed by Henryk Marconi. The official opening of the Vienna Railway Station took place on November 26, 1845. The building, built in the Italian Neo-Renaissance style, was 161 meters long and corresponded to the typical length of a train at the time. In 1900, a building for passengers, called the New Waiting Room, was constructed on the other side of the station tracks.

Objects:

Warsaw-Vienna Railway Station, 1908–1915, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1624/0/-/38/37

Unrealized project for the reconstruction of the Vienna Railway Station in Warsaw, 1901, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1403/0/2/105/1

Timetable of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway, 1845, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/11/224

Warsaw-St. Petersburg Railway

The first project for a railway connection between Warsaw and St. Petersburg was conceived in 1835. Initially, the Russian authorities were reluctant to build railway lines, but by the mid-19th century, they recognized their military importance. In 1851, Tsar Nicholas I signed a decree on the construction of the St. Petersburg-Warsaw Railway, which was to be financed from state funds. Construction of the line from the St. Petersburg side began in 1852. The work was headed by general engineer Edward Herstfeld, with engineer Stanisław Kierbedź as his deputy. The difficult financial situation caused by the Crimean War forced the suspension of construction in 1853. In January 1857, the construction of the line was entrusted to the Main Company of Russian Railways, based primarily on French capital. On December 27, 1862, the last section, Lentvaris to Warsaw, was completed and the entire line was commissioned. The route from St. Petersburg to Warsaw was 1,116 km long, of which only approximately 150 km were within the Kingdom of Poland. The tracks had a wide gauge of 1,524 mm. The leading station of the new line in Warsaw was the St. Petersburg Railway Station, built in 1860–1861 according to the design by Narcyz Zborzewski. The neo-Renaissance building was located on the even-numbered side of Wileńska Street. The station building was 158 m long and 17 m wide at its widest point. A distinctive feature of the façade were multiple arched windows. The Warsaw-St. Petersburg Railway, which ran, among other places, through Białystok and Vilnius, played a significant role in the pacification of the January Uprising. The insurgents’ initial successes did not prevent the Russian army from retaking and militarizing the line. In 1894, the railway line was forcibly purchased by the state treasury.

Objects:

Petersburg Railway Station (now Vilnius Railway Station) in Warsaw, 1909, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/2/30/4

Aleje Jerozolimskie, transport of a wagon produced at the Lilpop and Rau factory for the Warsaw-Petersburg Railway, 1871, The State Archives in Warsaw, “Kłosy” 1871, vol. 12

Warsaw-Terespol Railway

The creation of the Warsaw-Terespol Railway was initiated by banker Leopold Kronenberg, who as early as 1861 proposed starting work on a railway connection between Warsaw and Brest. He only obtained a concession for the construction of a railway line from Warsaw to Terespol via Siedlce on October 24, 1864. A joint-stock company, the Warsaw-Terespol Railway Company, was established to build and manage the new line. Field work began in the spring of 1865. The ceremonial opening of the entire route of the new railway took place on September 17, 1867. The Warsaw-Terespol Railway was 206 km long and was built as a broad-gauge railway with a rail gauge of 1,524 mm.

The Warsaw station of the Warsaw-Terespol Railway was built in 1866-1867. Initially, the station was called “Warszawa Praga”; only in 1881 was the name changed to “Warszawa Terespolska”. The terminus, like the other stations on the new line, was designed by the renowned Warsaw architect Alfons Kropiwnicki. The neo-Renaissance two-story building was located on today’s Kijowska Street.

Less than a year after its opening, on September 5, 1868, the Warsaw-Terespol Railway connected with the Terespol-Brześć Railway. This resulted in a significant increase in freight transport, as well as some increase in passenger traffic. In 1868, 1,761 trains ran on the route, carrying 178,148 civilian passengers and 15,859 soldiers and recruits. The most common transported goods included firewood and construction materials. In 1891, the Warsaw-Terespol Railway was forcibly purchased by the state.

Objects:

Terespol Railway Station, drawing by Ksawery Pillati, 1866, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/2/30/18

Concession documents for the Warsaw-Terespol Railway, 1865, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/800/0/0/22

Terespol Railway Station in Warsaw,1908, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/11/224/47

The Cross-City Line and the Main Railway Station in Warsaw

The cross-city railway line, running through the center of Warsaw, from Warszawa Zachodnia station to Warszawa Wschodnia station, was built between 1921 and 1933 as part of the overall reconstruction of the Warsaw junction. The first concept for a convenient connection of railway lines reaching Warsaw and the construction of a single central station appeared as early as 1879. In 1903, the authorities approved projects for the reconstruction of the Warsaw junction, including the construction of a central railway line. Due to financial reasons, this project was not implemented.

The construction of a cross-city line in Warsaw became possible only after Poland regained independence. In 1921, the project for the construction of a cross-city line with a bridge over the Vistula River was approved by the Ministry of Railways. That same year, construction of embankments and bridge supports began. In 1930, the cross-town tunnel was completed, and in 1932, it was connected to the excavation, which constituted the western part of the cross-town line. The line was officially opened on September 2, 1933. The ceremony took place on two finished platforms at the Main Station.

The Main Railway Station, built from 1932 according to the design by Czesław Przybylski, was the most important station on the new line. The monumental modernist building had a reinforced concrete structure and rich interior decorations. On June 6, 1939, during the final finishing works, the Main Railway Station building was severely damaged by fire. Destroyed during World War Two, it was not rebuilt. Currently, Warsaw Śródmieście Station stands in its place, while the Stanisław Moniuszko Central Station took over the role of the most important station on the cross-city line.

Objects:

Opening of the cross-city line tunnel, September 2, 1933, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/201/0/11/226

Sketch of the interior of the Main Railway Station in Warsaw, interwar period, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/3/0/1/8893/34

Warsaw Main Railway Station, interwar period, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/3/0/1/8893/33

Work on the Railway

The construction of a railway line always brought an increase in employment in the areas it ran through. While work on the railway was neither easy nor safe, it enjoyed considerable popularity. This became apparent during the operation of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway, whose employees were recruited from across the Kingdom of Poland. In 1858, the Warsaw-Vienna Railway had 878 full-time employees (excluding workers), while in 1898, the employment level reached 6,267 clerks, 1,200 workshop craftsmen, and approximately 2,000 workers. Similar increases in staff numbers were recorded on other railway lines in the Kingdom of Poland. Working on the railways was considered stable and it offered membership in the employee benefit funds, as well as supplementing one’s education at schools operating along the railway lines.

In the first years after regaining independence, the number of railway employees was constantly changing due to the consolidation of the railway network. On January 1, 1924, Polish railways employed 185,569 full-time employees, while on January 1, 1928, the number of full-time railway employees was 163,653. Typically, in the 1920s, state railways employed several to several dozen thousand seasonal workers at a time, needed for work related to track repairs, unloading or loading goods, etc. During the interwar period, Polish railway workers were treated with respect, serving as an example of unity and solidarity.

Objects:

Construction work on the EKD (Electric Commuter Railways) line, 1926–1927, photo by Zdzisław Marcinkowski, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1630/0/-/X-1882

Transport of the EKD (Electric Commuter Railways) railway wagon, 1926–1927, photo by Zdzisław Marcinkowski, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1630/0/-/X-1900

The final stage of construction of the EKD (Electric Commuter Railways) railway line, 1926–1927, photo by Zdzisław Marcinkowski, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1630/0/-/X-1879

Travel by train

Traveling around Poland is very cheap because the passenger fare on Polish railways is generally low, almost the lowest in Europe, and is also designed so that the longer the journey, the lower the cost per kilometer traveled.

For example, the price of a third-class ticket on an express train for a distance of 200 km is PLN 17, for a 400 km journey – PLN 30.80 (instead of PLN 34), for an 800 km journey – PLN 49 (instead of PLN 68), etc.

In second-class, prices are only 5.5 times higher than in third-class, and in first-class – 10.5 times higher (…).

Workers, provided they can prove their employment, as well as students from all schools, benefit from a 50% discount instead of a 25% discount.

Finally, people who travel to Polish health resorts for medical or recreational purposes and stay there for at least 10 days receive, upon departure from these towns to any station, a ticket of any class for express or passenger trains with a 50% discount based on certificates issued by the relevant health resort commissions or municipal offices.

Such towns include not only well-known health resorts and climatic stations such as Krynica, Zakopane, Ciechocinek, Inowrocław, Truskawiec, Iwonicz, Rymanów, Druskienniki, Nałęczów, Szczawnica, Otwock, Zaleszczyki, etc., and all seaside towns, but also several dozen points, mostly in Lesser Poland, in the mountainous or foothill areas. All of these health resorts are listed in the passenger tariff and in the official timetable.

(Polish State Railways brochure. Costs and conditions of travel on Polish railways, 1930s.)

Objects:

A train with the inscription “Warsaw Eastern Railways” on the carriage, 1943–1944, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1629/0/2/198

Children accompanied by guardians at the station before the train’s departure, interwar period, photo by Zdzisław Marcinkowski, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1630/0/-/X-1782

The last carriage of a train, probably a narrow-gauge train on the Jabłonna Railway, 1943–1944, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1629/0/2/196

Children sitting at the Warsaw-Vistula train station in Praga, 1943–1944, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1629/0/2/196

Railway Memorabilia

The State Archives and PKP S.A. have organized the “Memory of Railway Generations in the State Archives” campaign, as part of which they are conducting a nationwide collection of private memorabilia and documents related to the railway. The project aims to cultivate the memory of the history of Polish railways and the work of railway workers, as well as to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Polish State Railways in the Year of the Polish Railways. We collect not only documents, photographs, tickets, postcards, posters, timetables, maps, and technical plans, but also books and publications, audio and video recordings, as well as family memories and accounts related to the railway. We are interested in all kinds of memorabilia, regardless of the era in which they were created, their form, or state of preservation.

All State Archives and their branches across Poland are involved in the “Memory of Railway Generations in the State Archives” campaign – you can donate your materials to the branch office closest to your place of residence. They will be professionally secured, catalogued, and made available, among others, on the publicly accessible “Search in Archives” website. The first donor of the campaign, Artur Barciś, a renowned Polish theater and television actor, encourages everyone to join the initiative. He donated the ID cards of his parents, Jan and Celina Barciś, who were employed by the Polish State Railways, as well as a photograph of his grandfather, Edward Ogonek, in a railway uniform, to the State Archives in Warsaw.

The campaign is held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The initiative’s partners are: PKP Group companies, the Railway Institute, the Office of Rail Transport, the PKP Group Foundation, and the Station Museum.

Objects:

Jan Barciś’s ID card, issued by the Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy in Częstochowa, entitling him to travel on Polish State Railways (PKP) and State Road Transport (PKS) with a 50% discount, 1983, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/4421/0/-/2/1

Passport issued to retired freight forwarder Jan Barciś, entitled to use the discounts for second-class for railway employees when traveling by rail, late 1990s, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/4421/0/-/2/2

Jan Barciś’s ID card, issued by the Polish State Railways Regional Transport, entitling him to discounted second-class travel, ca. 2002, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/4421/0/-/2/3

Memory of Railway Generations

Have you already donated your railway memorabilia to the archive!?

Among the materials stored in family archives and private collections, there are often those that constitute a valuable source of information about the history of Polish railways, and consequently, the history of our country, for example, the text of a railway employee’s oath taken on August 9, 1920 – almost on the eve of the Battle of Warsaw, when the work of railway workers played an important role – donated to us as part of the “Memory of Railway Generations in the State Archives” campaign.

Each document, photograph, or recording has a unique story that we would like to learn about. We invite to the State Archives everybody who wish to follow Artur Barciś’s footsteps and join the “Memory of Railway Generations in the State Archives” campaign. The donated memorabilia will become part of the state archives and will be able to tell their railway stories to future generations.

How to participate? archiva.gov.pl/koleje

Objects:

Welcome of French competitors arriving for an equestrian competition in Warsaw at the Main Railway Station, 1933, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1607/0/-/108

Railway employee’s oath of office of August 9, 1920, signed by Jan Markiewicz, The State Archives in Warsaw, Donation of Bartłomiej Laszczka.

Blueprints:

Warsaw railway junction plan, 1934, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/607/0/1.1.2/51

Warsaw Main Railway Station map, 1939, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/56/0/-/591

General view of the mail and baggage car, ca. 1905, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1409/0/-/269/7

Skew railway bridge over the extension of Jagiellońska Street on the 100 30+50.15 line of the Warsaw railway junction, ca. 1933, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/607/0/1.1.2/35/13

Design of the bridge abutments on 283,716 versts, 1882, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1403/0/4/257/1, 4

General view of the mail and baggage car, ca. 1905, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1409/0/-/269/7

Tenderless steam locomotive. Cross-section, 1870, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1406/0/-/294

Design of a first- and second-class passenger carriage for the Warsaw-Vienna Railway, 1900, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/1403/0/3/206

Design of a double-track iron bridge with an underpass, 92 m span, 1924, The State Archives in Warsaw, Ref. No.: 72/607/0/1.1.2/35/42