Nothing terrible in general. But it’s not about the design. And about a mental construct. The National Stadium, the long-awaited, Polish pride, a symbol of everything that is modern and desirable, unfortunately was built as if it were built in the early 90s and not in 2011.
I had the opportunity to be there many times, horrifyingly several times, at events that were directed either to families, or the content of which was discussed about families, children, and diversity. The ideas are right, as well as the owner’s idea that the stadium should not be used only for sporting events. Quite a few family events take place there, both private and in the city. Picnics, exhibitions, fairs, ice rink, playgrounds and more. Everything is great, except for one overwhelming downside – National is not adapted to accepting families with children.
DIRECTIONS
Those who have money and want to go there by car have won. As the only ones. There is an underground car park, paid PLN 25 per day, no matter how long it will be used. But since the city focuses on public transport, ecology and bicycles, let’s focus on these means of transport.
Tram. Getting to the National by tram is tragic. Driving from the left side of the Vistula, we land at a stop – an island in the middle of the road, from which it is impossible to get out. When going with a baby in a pram, we are doomed to – I’m not sure myself – but probably to give up our plans. Personally, I don’t ask strangers to help me lift my pram down the stairs, although I know there are parents who do. I always think about the black scenario, which is that in a situation where the stroller overturns and the child falls out of it, only me will be responsible for it, as well as knowing that the child has suffered because of my decision. There are many stairs to the underpass under the Washington Roundabout, there is no driveway, no elevator. You can also wait for the tram that turns north and stops behind the Washington Roundabout. There is already a pedestrian crossing from this stop.
Bus . A similar situation applies to buses that come from the Center. After getting off at the stadium, we have no way to get to it, because crossing the roundabout requires going underground or making a round around the roundabout and walking around – with all the lights it will take about 15 minutes.
Metro is the biggest failure of this endeavor. The station, which is called “Metro Stadion Narodowy”, is located so far away from the stadium that it is “walking distance” only for the determined. Certainly not for little children’s legs, or for someone who wants to look like a human after reaching the stadium. A kilometer of road over concrete slabs, without trees, does its job. When the sun is shining, you can dissolve. Not only that, when we reach the grounds of the stadium, the subway road leads us to the entrance where we get to the top of the stairs. If we go alone, it may happen that we get stuck there for good. It is not a popular entrance to the stadium, so the situation where we do not meet a living soul there is quite real. This is what happened in my case.
When we want to get to the stadium from the main entrance (from the Washington Roundabout), to enter the facility, you need to use the elevator, which is where? ATTENTION – at the parking lot. So we walk with the baby stroller along the street without a pavement to the underground parking lot and only from there we can enter the elevator to go to level 0, 1 or 2.
SANITARY FACILITIES
Accessibility Standards for the Capital City of It is true that Warsaw did not enter into force until autumn 2017, but they do not contain revelations and provisions that no thinking designer can come up with. The National Stadium was designed by someone who has never dealt with a disabled person, has no elderly parents or grandparents, and certainly no children. The average fan will easily use the stadium’s toilets, but rather not one who has slightly different needs than a fully healthy person. It is in vain to look for a family room with a comfortable changing place here. We will not find a toilet that children can use freely. There is not even a bench in the stadium where a breastfeeding mother can rest. Not only that – a toilet with a changing table and a toilet for the disabled are hidden behind such massive doors that both a person in a wheelchair and a person with a pram will have a huge problem to open them. Someone may say – it’s good that they are at all. Well, unfortunately not. This has not much to do with accessibility.
FOOD FACILITIES
None. And maybe that’s enough, one needs to lower the veil of silence over this issue. Huge facility, loads of visitors, from children to the elderly, and apart from junk snacks, you won’t experience anything.
Someone will say that we are picking on because it’s nice that the Stadium is there at all and there is nothing to complain about. Well no. The National Stadium was built quite recently, for a lot of money from the state budget. For our taxes. And it could be a great place to hang out and enjoy attractions, accessible and friendly to everyone. It could if someone thought about it at the design stage. If someone wanted to create not only VIP rooms for the president’s wealthy colleagues, but also rooms where people with small children can easily change them. If someone planned not only white and red chairs and effective lighting, but also thought about comfortable access to the facility. Unfortunately, it happened otherwise and this is the domain of many (but not all) new investments in Poland. It’s a pity.
PS On the PGE Narodowy website, we will not find information about the facility’s access for people with disabilities or parents with children. You can always write that the object is not available. This is also important information.
Agnieszka Krzyżak-Pitura