What does a traditional apartment in Poland look like?

in my head it is an old building with taller ceilings than new build apartments. larger windows etc. is this correct? does anyone have any photos? how much would one cost in Katowice/gliwice?

i will never live in a new build apartment as they're soulless and i'm wondering if my prediction on traditional apartments is true. hoping to find a traditional style apartment to live in if i move.

Traditional are commiblocks, as it is where majority of cities inhabitants live: google.pl/search?q=mieszkanie+w+bloku

In some towns, especially in the west of the country. Not all are in good condition. Many were damaged in the war and poorly rebuilt (without the architectural detail) others are OK.


I'm not sure why you call them that - such blocks were built throughout Europe, certainly not only in Warsaw Pact countries. Some are good places to live, others not. Polish blocks being often cooperative rather than city owned do tend to have a wider socioeconomic spread of residents compared to, say, the northern parts of the UK.

I used to live in a flat in the Moscovsky district of Petersburg. This area was built as the new city centre, as Stalin wanted the old (and very beautiful) town to wither and die. The idea didn't work, but the Moscovsky district flats were built to a very high standard, and are much sought after even today.

is it difficult to find an old style apartment with big windows/ceilings in gliwice for example?

you are looking for an apartment in 'kamienica'. search google for: "mieszkanie na sprzedaż, kamienica, Gliwice" if you want to buy or "mieszkanie do wynajęcia, kamienica, Gliwice" if you want to rent.

While in certain cities the old fashioned flats are really nice, they come with a whole host of problems. They cost a fortune to heat due to poor insulation and those high ceilings you like. Also, unless they have been very well refurbished you could be in for a lot of trouble with leaks, damp and various other maintenance problems, you can make sure maintenance is covered by the owner in the contract, but it's a real pain. Also sound insulation is not always very good and so you can hear people going up and down stairs late at night and early in the morning.

I have stayed in old and new flats in Kraków and I would very much reccommend the new ones. Perhaps they may be "soulless" to the OP, but home is what you make it, and it's easier to do that when your house is warm and dry.

Another thing to note, a lot of the old buildings are close to the city centre, this brings up rental costs almost exponentially. Newer builds are often more out of the city and so costs are more competitive. Also much easier to give your flat some character if you have a few extra Zloty in your pocket.

No, it's quite easy. Try domiporta.pl for adverts.


This is very often the case. Also many of them are amfilada flats where the rooms lead off each other rather than from a hallway. Some of them have been badly subdivided from other flats and the plumbing isn't always what it could be.