Year 1946. Between West and East Europe, from Szczecin to Triest, the fall of “the Iron Curtain”. Two years a tiny breach emerged in the wall built by politicians two years later providing the citizens of “worse” part of the continent with an opportunity to look at the colourful reality of “rotten capitalism” ...

Windows to the West

Official name for rare places in Poland where people could, with impunity, read foreign western magazines, soon got settled in the PRL reality. Clubs of International Press and Book (in Polish Klub Miedzynarodowej Prasy i Ksiązki) called MPiK, and later just empik, boomed during the 60ies, mushroomed in big and middle-size cities all over Poland. For 20 years empik chain populated almost all Poland. In the highest period almost 100 KMPiK operated and about 300 press and books clubs popularizing knowledge and readership in small towns and in the countryside. Clubs attracted more and more people eager to get information, read books and listen to music rarities as well as to get in touch with foreign languages, authors, and also arts, quite often high art. Empik became synonym of broad cultural space and education, decadently scenting with exclusive ink and ... freshly ground coffee.

First stores

First International Press and Book Clubs (KMPiK) was established at the Bagatela Street in Warsaw. At the beginning, it was practically the only institution providing an opportunity to read foreign language press. Soon, in 1948, in the capital of Poland another International Press and Books Clubs opened at the Unia Lubelska Square. It was an exceptional event in the destroyed during the Warsaw, and soon after the Club became the favourite meeting place, reading-room and coffee bar. Pupils and students, writers and journalists, artists, engineers and workers gathered there. One of the most active KMPiKs was “Mokotów” Club at Dąbrowskiego 71 Street in Warsaw, mostly know for regular cultural meetings: permanent audience came to famous “In shine of stage and screen” meetings, crowds of young people came to “Fantasy – hobby of XX century” events. True sympathizers visited “Musician Thursday Club” and attended others meetings such as “World without the frames”, “People of Warsaw Owns Portrait”, “From Leafs of Contemporary History” and “Best-seller With Autograph”. During the times when satellite aerials were something new, in Mokotów’s KMPiKone of the first satellite aerials in Warsaw was installed for a probationary period.