Falowiec

View of 'the wave.' reneejudith (Atlas Obscura User)

Built throughout the Polish city of Gdansk in the late 1960s and 70s, falowiec means “wavy block” and is a type of architecture that has a wavy shape in both its body - the main structure - and balcony. There are eight buildings of this type in Gdansk and also a few sprinkled across Italy.

While Gdansk is home to more falowiec buildings than any other city, there is one that is of particular interest because it is the longest residential building in all of Europe. Built between 1970 and 1973, the serpentine building shown in the photographs above is in the district of Przymorze, and it houses nearly 6,000 people. The building is 11 stories tall and stretches for about one-half mile.

The building is so long that three separate bus stops service its many entrances.

Know Before You Go

Tram lines 2, 8, and 11 leave from the main station in the Old Town to the nearest stop: Chłopska - Obrońców Wybrzeża. Buses 139, 199, 227, and 315 also go to the same stop. At night, use bus N13.