About
A living legend for the 21st century
Explore Raffles Europejski Warsaw
An inspiring combination of cosmopolitan chic and 19th-century glamour. Discover our exceptional facilities and services.
OUR history
The Hotel Europejski Art Collection
Hotel Europejski began amassing its art collection in 2014 when Vera Michalski-Hoffmann and her daughters, Kasia and Tatiana, decided to build an outstanding, one-of-a-kind collection representative of the contemporary art scene in Poland. Thanks to guidance and advice from Barbara Piwowarska and Anda Rottenberg, the collection slowly began to take shape and has developed into a comprehensive selection of artworks by both established and emerging contemporary artists. The collection now encompasses almost 500 works by 120 artists, including a significant number of objects relating to both the hotel and its history. Reference is also made to post-war Polish modernism, alongside works by promising younger Polish talents.
Celebrating commendations from some of the world’s most respected aficionados, including our guests.
Art heritage
Hotel Europejski has its cultural roots in the late 19th/early 20th-century art scene. Between 1880 and 1900, the renowned Polish art dealer Aleksander Krywult had his salon on the second floor. Leon Wyszczółkowski, Józef Pankiewicz and Józef Chełmoński, the three best known painters of their time, all exhibited their work here. Chełmoński also had his studio on the top floor in the 1880s. Adam Chmielowski later worked in the same studio, as did the well-known painter and architect, Stanisław Witkiewicz. In recollections of Chełmoński, Antoni Piotrowski wrote that the artists’ ‘colony’ at the Hotel Europejski was a blessed place, characterised by undisturbed harmony, joy and genuine friendship.
Design masterpiece
The gracious interior design of the hotel is by distinguished Slovak set designer, architect and designer Boris Kudlička, whose works have been showcased at the National Opera in Warsaw, with some additional spaces designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán studio. While contemporary in character, the hotel’s interior designs incorporate symbolic elements that pay homage to its history. The walls of the Europejski Grill restaurant, for example, are adorned with Nieborów Majolica plates, and a mosaic that once embellished the reception of Hotel Europejski now graces the reception wall of Raffles Spa.