Squeezy living: Narrowest building opens in Poland

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Published time: October 21, 2012 10:31
Edited time: October 21, 2012 19:31

Israeli writer Etgar Keret is seen at the entrance of the Etgar House, allegedly one of the world’s narrowest houses, a day ahead of its official opening in Warsaw, in the former Jewish Ghetto neighbourhood. (AFP Photo / Wojtek Radwanski)

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Architecture, Europe

Building a house less than a meter wide may sound like a ridiculous idea, but now there is one just that narrow in the Polish capital. A building just 92cm across has opened in Warsaw as an artistic installation.

The narrowest building in Poland, and possibly the narrowest in Europe, is the brainchild of Israeli writer Edgar Keret. It was conceived as a memorial to his parents' family, who died in Warsaw during the World War II Holocaust.

The house was actually squeezed in-between two existing central Warsaw residential buildings on the edge of the former Warsaw Ghetto.

Polish architect Jakub Szczesny designed the weird construction, which is still a real house with all the necessary facilities. The building’s several levels comprise a “micro-kitchen, mini-bathroom, sleeping cubicle and tiny work area, all accessible via ladders," architect Szczesny said.

Its narrowest façade is just 92cm wide, while the widest is only 152cm. Despite it being rather compact, Keret plans to live there when he visits Warsaw.

A woman cycles in the front of Etgar Hause, allegedly one of the world's narrowest houses, opened by Israeli writer Etgar Keret. (AFP Photo / Wojtek Radwanski)

Comments (18)

Tomasz 22.10.2012 12:06

If any of you idiots were smart, you would see that Poland existed before the year 1000. It was wiped off the map for 123 before WWI, and it's amazing that it was still able to survive and reappear on the map, despite strong Russification and anti-Polish propaganda for those 123 years.

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pater (unregistered) 22.10.2012 08:33

WEll done comrade, if you knew something about history, you would have known that western part of current Poland was inhabited by Polish even when it was a part of German Reich. Look at historic maps how far Poland reached before 1795. On the other end, there was only one sole city and it's close vicinity in the massive eastern Poland that was inhabited by them, the rest (that is about 50% of interwar Poland) was inhabited by Lithuanians, Belarusians, Ruthenians and Ukrainians who were oppressed by polish government.

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Brasivnika 22.10.2012 05:55

So what? The only reason this story is even existence is because it mentions the Holohoax--- I mean 'caust.

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