Palma is preparing for its 25th anniversary

Joanna Rajkowska’s “Palma” at the de Gaulle Roundabout is being given a new setting and undergoing conservation work that will allow it to continue to be a part of the cityscape. Now in its 25th year in Warsaw, it remains part of the capital’s identity: while retaining its artistic form, it evolves alongside the city and its residents.

Recently, elements of the crown damaged by strong winds were replaced. The restoration work was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology and specialists from the Lubas company. Dates made by Warsaw residents during workshops with the artist at the National Museum and the MSN have also been hung on the tree.

The Palm’s renovation is a response to the changing conditions under which public art installations operate today. Extreme weather events place new demands on urban infrastructure. In the case of the Palm Tree, this means balancing the need to preserve its artistic character with structural and materials expertise, as well as the experience of those responsible for safety.

Not only is the Palm itself changing, but so is the site where it stands. The Municipal Roads Authority has begun removing the paving from its central island. Approximately 500 m² of concrete pavement will be replaced with greenery. Nearly 7,000 perennials and bulbous plants will be planted at the base of the Palm. The project, developed in consultation with Joanna Rajkowska, aims to create an urban oasis around the Palm. The mounds planted with feather grass and verbena are meant to resemble islands, while sage and catnip will evoke the sea. The work is scheduled to be completed in November 2026.

The Palm has stood in Warsaw since 2002. Over nearly a quarter-century, it has become one of the city’s most recognizable works of art in public space, as well as a permanent fixture of the cityscape. Since 2024, it has been part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.

The story behind the project began with Joanna Rajkowska’s personal determination. Acting as a private citizen, the artist rented a section of the de Gaulle Roundabout and arranged for a palm tree to be installed there, replacing the Christmas tree that had previously stood in that spot; it appeared in Warsaw as an object that seemed out of place—exotic, impossible, absurd.

Over time, the palm tree has become a landmark, a meeting place, and an object that residents photograph, comment on, and use in many different ways. It has taken on a life of its own—even birds have made their home in its crown.

The palm tree’s presence evokes the history of the name “Aleje Jerozolimskie” and the memory of multicultural Warsaw, while also speaking to the contemporary city—one open to diversity and constant change.

Today, the Palm is our shared asset. Its operation brings together diverse expertise and experiences: artists, museum professionals, residents, researchers, as well as road workers and tram operators. For each of these groups, Palma is something slightly different—a work of art, a structural object, an element of infrastructure, and above all, a part of the city’s shared space.

In 2027, it will be 25 years since the Palma was installed at the de Gaulle Roundabout. A quarter of a century is long enough to see it not only as a single artistic project, but as a fragment of Warsaw’s recent history.