Workers start demolishing a community hall on Poznań's Maltański estate despite pending court cases

Demolition starts on disputed land

On the morning of Wednesday, 28 October, workers hired by the Komandoria company began taking down the community hall on the Maltański estate in Poznań. The building stood on allotment land near Warszawska Street, which the Archdiocese of Poznań sold to the developer JHM Development in January 2026 for more than 400 million złoty. Residents say the crew broke a lock and dismantled windows, which they call burglary and theft. Police were dispatched after an emergency call, and officers identified 19 people at the site. Komandoria says the demolition was ordered by the property owner, JHM Development, and forms part of phased clean-up works that have run for months.

How the land changed hands

The estate sits on land that the Church used for allotment gardens from the 19th century, when the Archdiocese of Poznań set them up for its parishioners. After the Second World War the Church was expropriated from the site, and families settled on the plots, registered by the authorities who collected property tax from them. The Church formally regained the land in 1994, and 32 years later the Archdiocese sold it. Some residents have since moved out voluntarily, though two forced evictions have taken place. In September 2026, a forced eviction on the estate drew a protest.

Two court cases remain open

Two civil proceedings concern the building: one over adverse possession (zasiedzenie) and one over handing over the property. Neither has been concluded. The only ruling the court has issued so far is a final decision entering a warning in the land register that proceedings are under way. Marcin Czachor, who represents the residents, takes the same view and has announced his own complaint.

“I will also file a notification of a possible crime. This is against the law.”

Police and the parties' positions

Police spokesman mł. insp. Andrzej Borowiak said the force would not decide the legal status of the hall, and in its view there was no violation of home peace (naruszenie miru domowego). Patrycja Bartoszewska from the Maltańskie Nasz Dom association filed a complaint at the police station over property damage and burglary. Under civil law on possession (stan posiadania), the owner's representative could ask a court to restore possession, and any such ruling would be enforced under statutory procedures.

“We received a report through the 112 emergency number of a brawl involving many people with 'demolishers'. Several patrols were sent to the site.”

Residents and the wider estate

The hall had served as a meeting place for the local community for several decades. Residents have appealed to the media, calling the work an illegal demolition, and part of the community is still fighting to stay on the estate. The manager is also taking down buildings plot by plot on land that tenants have left, and this work continues alongside the court cases. Komandoria has stated that the hall was not used for housing and that no one will lose a place to live. Residents describe the workers' actions as theft, while police say the matter falls under civil law.