The symbol of prosperity for the lucky ones in the Polish People’s Republic is changing its purpose. In place of the iconic Sezam, a modern space for activity, relaxation and spending time together has been created.

03 września 2025

It was once a showcase of modern commerce. Today, the place where the Sezam Department Store operated for years – where people shopped, admired modern interiors and used the then-rarely available escalators – is changing its character. The very heart of the city as well as the purpose of many iconic places is also transforming along with the way we move around and spend our free time. Nowadays, more often than for shopping, Warsaw residents come to the city centre to work or look for places to spend time together, be active and relax. In line with the changing needs of the capital’s residents, a modern fitness club was established in place of the legendary Sezam.

The intersection of Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyska Streets – for over half a century, the Sezam Department Store was located here, attracting crowds not only from other parts of the city, but from all over Poland. People came here to buy goods unavailable anywhere else. It is the very centre of the capital, invariably attracting thousands of Warsaw residents every day, but the current destination is different than it was several dozen or so years ago.

A place without windows

The Sezam Department Store was opened in 1969. After the Rotunda and the Wars, Sawa and Junior department stores, it was another element of the Eastern Wall development, i.e. a project for the new expansion of the eastern frontage of Marszałkowska Street, which was destroyed by the Germans during World War II.

Sezam was a modern, spacious and multifunctional department store. “The entire Sezam Department Store has 39,000 m², and its total area is 7,300 m², including the retail section covering 3,900 m². The building has no windows at all. It is the first construction of this type in Poland. Similar structures have already been built in many European countries, especially in Sweden. Such system allows for greater use of commercial interiors and more effective merchandise display (…). During the construction of Sezam, external walls, i.e. curtain walls made of aluminium sheet and insulating substrate, were used for the first time in Poland,” the Stolica weekly raved about the building in its 37th issue of 14 September 1969.

– It was completely different from the other three department stores because it had no glass panels outside. It was a box with a small number of windows and external walls made of rolled aluminium sheeting. This created an interesting effect in the evening – says Piotr Wierzbicki, a Warsaw guide and author of books popularising the history of the capital. – Sezam was extremely modern for its time. It was also one of the best-stocked shops in the city, crowded with locals.

With the political transformation in Poland and the expansion of new retail and service outlets, Sezam’s popularity began to decline. In the early 1990s, it was still in the headlines for a while when, in 1992, the first McDonald’s in Poland was opened in the building annexed to it.

The Sezam Department Store was finally closed in 2014. In its place, an office and commercial complex was built in 2018, where a modern fitness club opened in early September.

A place that connects generations

Currently, the centre of Warsaw – as part of the New Centre of Warsaw programme, announced by the Capital City of Warsaw in 2019 – is undergoing transformation.

The goal of the investments completed and planned by Warsaw, including those on Chmielna Street, Five Corners Square, and Central Square, is to create a city centre that is comfortable, cohesive, green, accessible, and full of life. As the project’s authors explain on their website, a vibrant centre is one that “becomes more attractive to entrepreneurs and offers a full range of services to residents thanks to comfortable, interconnected spaces and squares. Instead of empty shop windows and limited offerings, the heart of Warsaw is filled with shops, cafés, restaurants and service points.”

One of the empty store fronts was filled by the Zdrofit fitness club at the beginning of September. On the one hand, it is a response to the assumptions of the city programme, and on the other, to the contemporary needs and expectations of the capital’s residents. In the “MultiSport Index 2024: Sportcrastination” survey as many as 81% of Warsaw residents declared that they are physically active at least once a month. Nationwide, it’s 66% of Poles.

The unique character of the newest Zdrofit is determined not only by its location, but also by the offer that considers the needs and opportunities of all generations meeting in the centre of Warsaw – local residents, employees of nearby offices and retail and service outlets, as well as people looking for places for activity, relaxation and spending time together downtown.

– If I were to describe the newest Zdrofit club in one sentence, I would say it’s a place that will connect everyone who flocks through the centre of Warsaw every day – says Kamil Zieliński, manager and fitness trainer at Zdrofit. – We’re here for employees of nearby offices who often want to take care of their health before work, and after eight hours behind the desk, are looking for a place to take care of their spine and fitness, but also to reduce stress. Generation Z representatives will feel the atmosphere of classes in the Beat zone, where functional training is combined with light play, energetic music and high intensity that builds fitness. Seniors who live near the club often look for an excuse to go out in a larger group, and we have group classes just for them. They will allow them to stay fit for as long as possible but also have a good time in company.

A new addition to the Zdrofit network are Vital Flow classes combining work on strength, flexibility and balance in a safe and friendly way dedicated to women over 40.

The club’s unique character is given by references to the legendary Sezam – a place that was a destination for many Warsaw’s residents and a landmark on the map of the Polish capital for decades. One of the walls features an original mosaic of ceramic tiles from the 1960s, and at the entrance there is a reproduction of an archival photo of the Sezam Department Store from the National Digital Archives.

Magdalena Potocka

Senior PR Specialist Benefit Systems

888 724 677

Zdrofit are fitness clubs owned by Benefit Systems. The clubs promote healthy exercise in line with the philosophy that physical activity is available to anyone who wants to take care of their health, regardless of age, body shape or previous achievements. Currently, Polish residents can exercise in 124 Zdrofit clubs. As many as 65 of them operate in Warsaw. The remaining ones are in Tricity, Szczecin, Kielce, Koszalin, Toruń, Lublin and Elbląg.

Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market for over two decades and is one of the leaders in providing non-financial benefits that support employee wellbeing. The company is the creator of the MultiSport Programme, which enables physical activity in sports facilities throughout the country. Its portfolio also includes the MyBenefit cafeteria platform and the MultiLife wellbeing programme. For several years now, the company’s sports offer has been developed on foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. The Benefit Systems Group also operates fitness clubs (in Poland it is responsible for Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, Good Luck, My Fitness Place, Saturn Fitness, StepONE, Total Fitness and Zdrofit networks). An important area of Benefit Systems activities is the promotion of an active lifestyle at every stage of life, which is why the company implements initiatives supporting physical activity of children, adults, and seniors, also as part of the MultiSport Foundation. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been part of the global B Corp initiative, bringing together companies operating and engaging in solving the most important social problems. More information can be found at benefitsystems.pl/en.