Bierut Decree

The Decree, named after the council's leader, Bolesław Bierut, nationalized most of the land properties in Warsaw.

Following the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, thousands of claims for restitution of nationalized property were made in Warsaw alone by former owners or their surviving heirs.

Many claims are still outstanding as of 2018, due to opposition from tenant anti-reprivatisation activists and interference from fraudulent or exploitative, sometimes illegal, business ventures.

A tenant activist, Jolanta Brzeska [pl], was murdered in 2011, raising concerns of organized crime involvement in this area.

A number of contentious privatization cases in Warsaw has grabbed the attention of Polish and even international press over the years.