Włochy

Włochy (Polish: [ˈvwɔ.xɘ̟] ^ⓘ) is a district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It has an area of 28.63 km² (11.05 sq mi), and in 2024, it was inhabited by 50,753 people, making it the 16th in the city by both population and area, and as such, its 3rd smallest district by both metrics. It is located in the southwest part of the city, bordering Bemowo, Ochota, and Wola to the north, Mokotów and Ursynów to the east, and Ursus, to the northwest. Its southwestern boundary was marked by the city border with the municipalities of Michałowice and Raszyn in Pruszków County. The district is predominantly a residential area featuring low-rise single-family housing, with lesser presence of apartment buildings, with neighbourhoods such Włochy in the northwest, as well as Okęcie, Opacz Wielka, and Załuski in the central south. The area in the northeast is dominated by several housing estates with mid-rise apartment buildings, including Jadwisin, Okęcie Lotnisko, Raków, and Salomea.

The southeastern area of the district features the Warsaw Chopin Airport, which, in 2024, it was the busiest airport in Poland and the 28th busiest airport in Europe, with 21.3 million passengers in 2024, handling approximately 40% of the country's total air passenger traffic. It forms a central hub for the LOT Polish Airlines. The area around the airport features factories and warehouses partially dedicated to the aviation industry, as well as the Institute of Aviation, a state-owned research institution specialised in the aviation and astronautics. The area also includes numerous railway stations, such as Chopin Airport, Aleje Jerozolimskie, Warszawa Okęcie, Warszawa Ursus Północny, and Warszawa Włochy. Włochy includes historical buildings, such as the Koelichen Palace, a neoclassical residence, from 1859, and Fort V "Włochy". It also has two historic churches, the Church of the Epiphany, from 1939, and the Church of Saints Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Roman Martyrs, built between 1946 and 1962. They belong to the Lutheran and Roman Catholic denominations, respectively. The district also features a few parks, including: Black Grouse Ponds Park, Combatants Park, Goat Pond Park, and Space Gardens.

The villages of Sopęchy and Stojarty were first recorded in the area of modern Włochy in 1395 and 1493, respectively. They were founded by the Rakowski family of the clan of Radwan, descending from count Gotard of Służew. The village Raków was also founded in the area in the 13th century, and in the following century, the village of Okęcie was separated from it. In 1452, a portion of Porzucewo was sold to Jan Włoch, and the village was eventually renamed after him to Włochy in the following century. In the 15th century, villages of Gorzkiewki, Opacz, and Zbarż. In 1447, Raków received Kulm law rights, and was followed by Gorzkiewki and Zbarż in 1451. In the 16th century, the village of Górki was founded in the area, and was later destroyed together with Sopęchy (from 16th century known as Witki) by Swedish forces in 1656, during the Second Northern War. In the 17th century, the villages of Paluch and Załuski were founded, while Stojarty was recorded for the last time. In 1795, the estate of Włochy was acquired by count Tadeusz Antoni Mostowski, who developed there his residence together with an English landscape garden, which now forms the Combatants Park. In 1859, in its place was constructed the neoclassical residence, known as the Koelichen Palace. In 1888, three forts were built in the area, as part of the city fortifications, known as the Warsaw Fortress, now surviving as ruins. In the second half of the 19th century, the manufacturing industry developed in Włochy. The hamlets of Budki Szczęśliwickie and Wiktoryn were also founded nearby. In 1926, the estate was partitioned and sold off for the development of a residential neighbourhood with villa houses. In 1959, a railway station was opened in Włochy, and later, three more stations were opened in nearby Raków, Salomea, and Wiktoryn, as part of the Electric Commuter Railway. In 1930, Włochy became the seat of a new municipality, named after it, which also included Solipse and Wiktoryn. In 1934, the Warsaw Chopin Airport was opened in the area, becoming the largest airport in the country, and the hub of the LOT Polish Airlines. Numerous factories also developed around it. In 1939, Solipse, Włochy, and Wiktoryn were merged together, forming the town of Włochy. The same year, Okęcie became the seat of the municipality named after it, which also incorporated the neighbouring settlements.

The area was captured by German Wehrmacht on 8 September 1939, during the first days of the Second World War, and was later sight of battle during the siege of Warsaw on 12 September, when a few companies from the 360th Infantry Regiment of the Polish Armed Forces, together with two tank companies, attacked German positions in Okęcie, briefly recapturing the airport, before being pushed back in the area of Załuski, after experiencing heavy casualties. While the area remained under the German occupation, the airport was used for cargo transportation, and as a base for the German Air Force. From November 1940 to February 1941, a ghetto operated near Solipse, with around 300 Jewish residents, before being closed with its population relocated to the Warsaw Ghetto. On 1 August 1944, a small company of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Home Army, attacked the airport on the first day of the Warsaw Uprising. The attack ended in failure, with majority of the attackers being killed. On 16 September 1944, German authorities rounded up over 4,000 men, between the ages of 16 and 50,, constituting almost the entire working-age male population of the town. Majority of them were subsequently sent to concentration camps to perform forced labour, with around half being estimated to have died as the consequence.

The area was incorporated into Warsaw in 1951, becoming part of the Ochota district. Between 1958 and 1972, two housing estates, known as Jadwisin and Okęcie Lotnisko, were constructed in its northeastern portion, for a total of around 12,800 residents. The airport was expanded and modernised between the 1960s and 1980s. In 1994, the area of was separated from Ochota, forming its own administrative unit as the municipality of Warsaw-Włochy. In 2002, it was restructured into the Włochy district. Throughout 2010s and 2020s, the neighbourhood of Raków transformed into a residential neighbourhood with modernist apartment buildings.