The Secret Life of Warsaw Tenement Houses. Where Did the Small Houses on the Roofs of the Old Town Come From?

Walking through Warsaw’s Old Town, it’s easy to miss the charming, inconspicuous structures that have been watching the city from above for centuries. They resemble miniature houses hidden on the roofs of tenement houses – as if a larger building had taken its smaller version “on piggyback”. What lies inside?

Warsaw, like many other medieval cities, developed in a specific way. Free space was a scarce commodity, so building plots were allocated so that they were narrow and extended far into the interior. This allowed for dense development along prestigious streets, where every square centimeter was of great importance.

As a result, characteristic tenement houses with a three-bay layout were created - with rooms at the front, at the back and in the center of the building. However, the problem concerned the middle bay, which - without access to windows - was plunged into complete darkness. In order not to completely abandon the arrangement of this space, it was decided to use it by building a staircase in it, but the issue of lighting still remained unresolved.

Warsaw Old Town / Shutterstock

The designers’ ingenuity came to the rescue, and instead of installing additional candles or lamps that would require constant supervision, they decided to create a so-called “soul” in the central part of the building, above the stairs – an empty space running the entire height of the staircase. At its top, a small structure with windows was placed, which acted like a lantern – it let daylight into the depths of the tenement house, which allowed safe movement between floors.

Small houses on the roofs of Warsaw's Old Town / Shutterstock

Although they were originally designed for purely utilitarian purposes, over time these small rooftop houses began to attract the attention of residents and tourists. Their fairy-tale appearance sparked numerous speculations – it was said that they served as children's rooms, artist's studios or mysterious turrets inhabited by princesses. After World War II, when Poland was electrified, small buildings on the tops of tenement houses began to be adapted for residential purposes.

Most of these structures have been transformed over time – some are now inhabited rooms, others serve utility functions or have been completely rebuilt. However, you can still find some that have retained their original character.

One of the best examples is the lighthouse available to visitors at the Museum of Warsaw. It offers a unique view of the Old Town – a panorama that cannot be experienced from street level. It allows us to understand how these unique houses functioned, but also gives us a chance to look at our capital from a completely different perspective.

Lanterns are a small but significant testament to the ingenuity of past architects. They show that functionality does not have to exclude aesthetics, and that spatial constraints can be an impulse for creative solutions. Although today they play a completely different role than before, they are still present in the landscape of the old town – a quiet reminder of the times when daylight was a luxury, and every square meter was used with intelligence and imagination.