ADDRESS: 11 Królewska Street
OPENING DATE: 11th December 1939
“Sztuka i Moda”, charming place in the centre of Warsaw, located in the yard at 11 Królewska Street. Previously, it was a part of the premises of the Czartoryski Palace and the 19th c. open-air theatre “Alkazar”, which in the inter-war period was changed into a conservatory and then to a club. Already before the war SiM was known as an artistic café. The new SiM, build on the rubbles of 1939, continued the legacy of its pre-war brother. The manager was Adam Domański, who was responsible for the organization and for the artistic setting. Throughout the four and a half years of its existence around 1300 actors, singers, painters, writers and musicians entertained the people of Warsaw on the small stage of two grand pianos. On the small yard of SiM there was also a porterhouse “Pod Złotą Kaczką”, which was an integral part of this artistic asylum. The artists would get dinners preferably priced and they could count on having shelter any time. Besides art and gastronomy, it also had conspiracy function. The place had two entrances, the official one at 11 Królewska Street and the non-official on a side of the garden at 7 Krakowskie Przedmieście, which was used in most dramatic moments.
A.J. Domański, Sztuka i Moda, „Ruch Muzyczny” 1960, nr 8.
WSPOMNIENIA
the Lost treasure
Who could have thought that the calendars printed every month by SiM, which included the monthly repertoire, will be a valuable historical document already 20 years later. They would be on every table, and the habitual guests would use them instead of the normal notepads. My collection burnt in 1944 and I don’t know if anybody has at least one extra copy somewhere.
A.J. Domański, Sztuka i Moda, „Ruch Muzyczny” 1960, nr 8.
Concerts
The daily concerts in SiM were not limited only to the shows of singers and pianists. Sundays and holiday mornings in 1940, were dedicated to classical music played by the trio Eugenia Umińska – violin, Kazimierz Wiłkomirski – violoncello and Maria Wiłkomirska – grand piano. Those mornings were actually highly attended by German officers, fans of chamber music. An excellent violist Wacław Nieczyk would also play there quite often.
A.J. Domański, Sztuka i Moda, „Ruch Muzyczny” 1960, nr 8.
The host of SiM
Mariusz Maszyński, apart from organizing the shows, was a host of SiM and it was thanks to him that the place gained its charm […]. The repertoire of Maszyński included songs, reciting, and monologues. And the monologues would often involve some political allusions. The audience, who was very sensitive to any hidden or double meaning, would find allusions even where they were not present at all.
A.J. Domański, Sztuka i Moda, „Ruch Muzyczny” 1960, nr 8.
About the place
The interior of SiM was the only one of its kind as it was remade from the old conservatory with two side lounges - an old and a new with a window roof. It had a lot of charm and the feeling of tranquillity. We would regularly arrange art exhibitions, which consisted mainly of the works of our guests themselves. Quite a few times SiM's walls were decorated with Lasocki's cows, Henryk Szczygliński's landscapes and portraits of Stanisław Janowski. The company, which leased SiM included, among others, Olga Niewska, whose beautiful sculpture decorated the conjunction between the main hall and the new lounge. She designed and crafted four masks, which were used as lamps. The sources of light in the room were hidden, and in the lounges there were lamps with decorative lampshades, which helped to create more of a social character of the place rather than just a simple café.
A.J. Domański, Sztuka i Moda, „Ruch Muzyczny” 1960, nr 8.
Recitals
Holidays were full of recitals of the great virtuosos, such as Zbigniew Drzewiecki, Jan Ekier, Jerzy Lefeld, Paweł Lewiecki, Andrzej Wąsowski, Bolesław Woytowicz and others. On those days SiM transformed into a music hall, filled with lovers of good music.
A.J. Domański, Sztuka i Moda, „Ruch Muzyczny” 1960, nr 8.
