It would seem that in densely built-up cities, green spaces owned by public entities are too valuable not to make them available to residents. Meanwhile, even in Warsaw - considered a Polish model of urban greening - it is still possible to find places with great natural and recreational potential that remain closed to Varsovians. One of them was, until recently, the terrace garden in Ursynów belonging to the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Today, that is changing. After years of waiting, the gardens have finally been opened to everyone. What made it take so long? And why is this garden so special?
a green treasure diligently protected
Perhaps not everyone remembers, but the SSGW Terrace Garden, or rather its ruins, were not fenced off until 2014. At that time, it was closed for repairs to be carried out by the university, which managed the facility. There was quite a lot to repair, because over the years of neglect and the transformations taking place mainly in the 20th century, when the palace complex was turned into a university campus, the garden had changed beyond recognition - definitely for the worse.
The Terrace Garden of the SSGW after its revaluation in 2016
SSGW press mat.
According to the university, during the two years of the renovation:
[...] reconstruction and revaluation works were underway. During this time, the retaining walls, stairs, railings, and fountain were restored; trees were removed from the slope, partially exposing the scenic axis to Wilanów; the pond was cleaned, and new forest vegetation was planted on the slopes. The area has been fenced and monitored.
Destroyed terraces of the Italian garden in Ursynów before the 2016 revaluation
SGGW press mat.
The joy of residents hoping for a new attraction on the outskirts of Warsaw didn 't last long, because right after the anniversary celebrations it turned out that the historic garden would remain closed, and literally so. Indeed, a fence appeared around the establishment, preventing access to the park.
Destroyed terraces of the Italian garden in Ursynów before the 2016 revaluation
press mat.
why so long?
Warsaw councilors reacted quickly to the unexpected turn of events. Back in 2016, Pawel Lenarczyk issued an interpellation demanding justification for closing the park behind the gate. As a result of subsequent actions by local government officials, the university informed that the entire area of the Italian garden behind the Rozkosz Palace is located within the Ursynów Escarpment Reserve, which is subordinate to the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Warsaw, so access to its area requires the appropriate permission.
The permission was obtained - but only in 2018 and only for organized groups of up to 20 people. Public walks were rare, and the Ursynów Escarpment remained inaccessible to most residents.
Shortly thereafter, the university announced its intentions to open the garden to the wider public - but this time the plans were thwarted by the outbreak of a pandemic. In 2023, an ordinance appeared allowing a portion of the Ursinus Escarpment to be opened to pedestrian traffic. The opening was delayed by branches of trees fallen in 2023 and 2024, which prevented safe use of the area. Their cleanup was not undertaken until a year later. On April 17, 2025, after 11 years, the terrace gardens at the back of Krasinski Palace were reopened to Warsaw residents.
Destroyed terraces of the Italian garden in Ursynów before the 2016 revaluation
fmat. press SGGW
cooperation pays off
I am very pleased that on April 17 we can, together with the authorities of SGGW, invite not only the residents of Ursynów District, but above all all all Warsaw residents to visit the Terrace Garden below Krasiński Palace in Ursynów. This would not have been possible had it not been for the great kindness and help of JM Rector Michael Zasada, who from the very beginning took effective measures to bring about today's opening. For me, this is great news for the people of Warsaw, who from today can visit this beautiful place.
- said Pawel Lenarczyk during the ceremony, which was also attended by the university's rector, Michal Zasada.
The Terrace Gardens, also known as the Italian Garden, will be open until October 31 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. According to the rules and regulations, animals are not allowed in the park, which is part of the reserve, and touching the vegetation is prohibited.
Krasinski Palace "Rozkosz" in Warsaw - currently the rectorate of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Photo: Adrian Grycuk © CC BY-3.0 en | Wikimedia Commons
delightful place
The history of the garden is inextricably linked to the Rozkosz palace, located near the Ursynów Escarpment, between Służewiec and Natolin. It was this area that was donated to the royal chamberlain Joseph de Maisonneuve in 1775 by Prince August Czartoryski - the father of Izabela Krasińska, with whom the chamberlain was in love.
Joseph de Maisonneuve named the estate "Rozkosz" in honor of his mistress, building a small residence and a garden there.
The place, called Delight, is separated only by a valley from the forest: it consists of a pretty cottage with two secluded wings, a beautiful orchard and a wild walk running down the valley to its depths, where there is a shapely grotto....
- in 1784, the Warsaw architect Szymon Bogumił Zug, who was responsible for, among other things, the Holy Trinity Church in Warsaw, was said to have written about it.
The revitalized terrace gardens of the Warsaw School of Economics
SGGW press mat.
Ursynów, America, or perhaps Washington?
The estate changed owners many times, one of them being the eminent poet Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, who bought it in 1822 for nearly 35 thousand zlotys, equivalent to the value of more than 6 kilograms of gold. He renovated the dilapidated palace and laid out a beautiful garden on the site; he also changed the name of the estate. Initially it was to be called America or Washington, for this was after the poet had already returned from two long expeditions to the New World. In the end, however, out of fear of a reaction from the authorities of the Russian partition, he decided on a slightly less controversial choice, derived from his family nickname - the estate by the Vistula Escarpment became Ursinov, and later - Ursynów, giving the name to the entire district. Yes, Ursinov almost became Washington!
In later years, Ursynów passed into the hands of the Krasinskis (from whom, in turn, the palace took its present name), the Raczynskis and the Treasury, becoming in 1956 the property of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, where the university set up its campus.
Terraces at the back of Krasinski Palace before 1896
Felix Brzozowski | SGGW press mat.
garden on the level
To return to the garden itself, however, it is necessary to go back to 1857, when the then owners of the estate, Eliza and Ludwik Krasinski, decided to rebuild the palace, which had been designed by Chrystian Piotr Aigner for Stanisław Kostka Potocki at that location, and replace it with a new Neo-Renaissance residence by Zygmunt Rospendowski. The work was completed in 1860, at which time the arrangement of the garden area began - in 1860-1882, at the back of the residence, on the east side, was created:
a multi-storey terrace arrangement, consisting of two terraces fortified with brick retaining walls, with rusticated stone cladding. The terraces were connected by flights of stairs, and the whole was crowned by a balustrade with vases and orangery trees.
Below was a pond, and between the water and the terraces was a small fountain. The author of the design of the terrace gardens is unknown, but it can be assumed that in this case, too, the Krasinskis engaged Zygmunt Rospendowski.
A new opening in Ursynów
After years of effort, formal problems and technical delays, the garden is alive again. The opening of the Terrace Garden is a symbolic return to the idea of an accessible city and a reminder that history, nature and modernity can go hand in hand. It's worth a visit - not only for the greenery and architecture, but also for the history that played out along the same paths we can walk again today. At the same time, it should not be forgotten that conservation is not only about restricting access, but also about education, including on the ground.
