The Grand Hotel Orbis was a Warsaw institution, built in the “Socialist Realism” style in the 1950s, and opened in 1957. The elegant grey brick façade was designed to match the surrounding government district.

At the time this menu was in use the hotel was home to the Japanese and Ecuadorean embassies, with the Australian embassy joining in 1974. Until 2004, the hotel was also host to the Polish Olympic committee. The Grand Hotel’s decoration was inspired by abstract artists Joan Miró, as well as the traditional Polish decorative Oscypek cheese.

This menu’s illustration, by Z. Jrokowski, dates from 1962. The mermaid is a reference to the (freshwater) mermaid which has been a part of Warsaw’s legendary history for centuries, and on its coat of arms since 1622.

Today the Grand Hotel lives on as a Mercure property.

Courtesy Private Collection.