Żoliborz Centralny

In 1958, a foundation stone was laid for a new housing estate in Żoliborz. This marked the beginning of what we now know as Żoliborz Centralny. The estate was built on former allotment gardens. It was initially called WSM “Sady Żoliborskie”. Żoliborz Centralny quickly became a significant part of the Warszawskiej Spółdzielni Mieszkaniowej (WSM), or Warsaw Housing Cooperative. By December 1970, the WSM had almost 36,500 members. 9,700 of them were waiting for an apartment. Over 94,000 people already lived in WSM housing. The cooperative continued to expand, adding estates like Zatrasie and Słodowiec between 1960 and 1966. Between 1973 and 1988, the estates of Piaski, Wawrzyszew, and Chomiczówka were added to the growing WSM portfolio. As WSM grew, managing such a large organization became increasingly complex. In 1970, WSM underwent a restructuring. Some of its estates were transferred to other housing cooperatives due to their distance and the different ownership structures. WSM retained the Żoliborz I, II, III, IV, Bielany, and Młociny estates. This decentralization continued into the 1990s. Żoliborz Centralny and Chomiczówka became independent cooperatives. This reflected a desire among residents for greater autonomy and control over their own neighborhoods. This move was driven by the residents of Żoliborz I. They wanted to separate from the large WSM and manage their own affairs. This area, the original heart of WSM in Żoliborz, became known as Żoliborz Centralny, often abbreviated to WSM-ŻC. The name signifies its central role in the history of the cooperative in this district. It distinguishes it from the other WSM estates in Żoliborz.