Aroma Park (YIT)

We visited at the end of September, just as the leaves were starting to fall, and the complex charmed us straight away. Once inside, the trees and greenery made us feel as if we were in Uroczysko Las Henryków — the pine forest near the estate. We don’t often review projects on the right bank of Warsaw, but every time we go we’re pleasantly surprised — Bulwary Praskie was another strong find. What we especially liked is that YIT kept not only the historic architecture, but also the mature trees that stood here long before the build.

Aroma Park is on ul. Klasyków 10 (later stages also on ul. Dziatwy 5–7) in Henryków, Białołęka. Developer: YIT Development; architects: KAPS Architekci. The project sits on the former Bienenthal yeast distillery / Pollena-Aroma site.

A short history

This used to be Henryk Bienenthal’s yeast and spirits plant, founded around 1902 by a Jewish entrepreneur who made baker’s yeast by the Viennese method. The Henryków neighbourhood takes its name from him. Around 1910 a distillery was added, and the plant ran until World War II. After a break of about ten years, production restarted in 1955 as a fragrance factory; from 1964 it was officially named Aroma and later joined the Pollena group. The Pollena-Aroma factory operated here until 2012, and the estate inherited its name from that chapter.

Old and new

The grounds are protected, so YIT had to restore four original brick buildings under the Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments:

Between these landmarks stand new mid-rise blocks in red clinker brick, graphite plaster, slim metal balconies and large glazing — deliberately simple so they don’t compete with the monuments. Across five stages YIT delivered about 407 apartments in roughly nine buildings (2019–2025). Machinery from the old production halls is displayed on the grounds.

For us this project is real craft: everything here helps you feel at home. The estate has a story, and the new buildings sit very harmoniously next to the restored ones. They are not identical either — each has its own structure, which gives the place character. The red brick looks warm and pairs beautifully with the old trees that grow both around and inside the project.

We especially liked the flats in the building that was Aroma’s warehouse in its day: they have a Scandinavian charm.

Green space

About 40% of the plot (~3 ha) is greenery. The estate borders renovated Park Henrykowski, and next to it sit two more large green areas — Las Anecin and Uroczysko Las Henryków, the long pine belt east of Henryków. Mature trees on the plot — maples, ashes, century-old lindens — were kept or transplanted rather than cleared, so the courtyards still feel like the edge of that forest. The Google Earth view below shows how much canopy survived the build: the industrial footprint is gone, but the big trees still frame the courtyards.

20162026

The central courtyard has a salt graduation tower (tężnia), a yoga platform and a great playground. There is a lot of greenery on site: even at the end of September the lawns were still lush.

Right beyond the estate boundary lies the large Park Henrykowski with a really good playground. From a nature point of view, this place is outstanding.

Transport

The one big downside is the trip to the centre. We used PKP, but the station is about a 15-minute walk. If you choose this estate and work in the centre, you will most likely need a car.

Is it worth it? For us — absolutely. If you have a small child, or plan to, we have not seen a better place to live in Warsaw than Aroma Park.

The architect

KAPS Architekci designed both the restored fabric and the new buildings that complete the historic site. The project was nominated for the 2024 Architectural Award of the President of the Capital City of Warsaw.

Prices now and what the developer still has

Primary market

Only a few apartments remain with the developer in the last stage: penthouses with a mezzanine and a small studio.

The penthouses cost roughly 1.8–1.9 million zł and run from almost 110 to 120 m². The one drawback is the view: the windows face warehouses and a car park, not the inner courtyard. We think there is room for a serious negotiation on these units. The view may also change over time — a new residential project opposite is quite possible, but that is only our assumption.

Secondary market

On Otodom we found only one listing — a nice three-room flat for 1,199,000 zł (16,915.91 zł/m², about 70.9 m²), already renovated. The layout is solid:

• a large bathroom a little over 7 m²;
• a walk-in wardrobe;
• spacious bedrooms of 12.5 and almost 14 m²;
• a kitchen-living room of 25 m².

A strong option. We could not find any other secondary listings in this estate, so let’s look at the price register.

What the price register shows

This year only 3 apartments sold here on the secondary market: two two-room flats and one four-room.

The range is about 15.2–18.5 thousand zł/m², and our Otodom three-room (16.9k) sits inside that band.

Who is it for?

A strong fit if you want a finished, low mid-rise YIT estate with a real industrial courtyard, Park Henrykowski next door, and two forests — Las Anecin and Uroczysko Las Henryków — for proper woodland walks: quieter right-bank living instead of a tower corridor. Especially for families with small children.

Less so if a fast commute to the centre or metro matters most. Primary stock is almost gone: the developer has only a few last-stage flats left (including penthouses), and the rest is secondary-market hunting.