A barricade of tram cars at the corner of Marszałkowska and Piękna during the defence of Warsaw, with the pre-war tenements behind
Ruins at the corner of Marszałkowska and Koszykowa, where the square was later built
MDM blocks under construction along Marszałkowska, April 1952
The finished square with the Palace of Culture in the background
Plac Konstytucji seen from the MDM Hotel, with cars parked in the middle
The square from a similar high viewpoint, 2010
Lamp posts and the MDM Hotel on Plac Konstytucji, 2021
Before the war this was a dense area of 19th-century tenement houses at the junction of Marszałkowska, Piękna and Koszykowa streets; most of it was destroyed during the war. In 1950–1952 the Marszałkowska Housing District (MDM) was built here in the socialist-realist style, and Plac Konstytucji was opened on 22 July 1952 with its arcades, reliefs and three tall ornamental lamp posts. For decades much of the square has been used as a car park.