Warsaw marks the arrival of the first automobiles in 1896

On August 25, 1896, the first automobiles in the history of the Polish lands appeared on the streets of Warsaw. The introduction of these vehicles was facilitated by Stanisław Grodzki, the successor of the Warsaw-based firm ‘Alfred Grodzki’, which specialized in agricultural machinery and tools.

Grodzki secured representation rights for two major brands in the Kingdom of Poland: the German manufacturer Benz and the French manufacturer Peugeot. The vehicles arrived in Warsaw via rail on August 20, 1896, and were transported to the company’s headquarters on Senatorska Street via horse-drawn platforms.

The first public trials took place on August 25, with Grodzki personally driving one vehicle while a mechanic operated the other. A notable demonstration involved a Benz automobile traveling from Senatorska Street through Miodowa, Krakowskie Przedmieście, and Nowy Świat to Plac Trzech Krzyży. At the time, the Benz vehicle reached speeds of approximately 20 wiorsts per hour (roughly 21 kilometers per hour), a pace described by contemporary media as a ‘magic of speed’.