4.  The applicants were born in 1952, 1960, 1939, 1963, 1950, 1937, 1946, 1962 and 1921 respectively and live in Warszawa, Świdnica and Łódź. 5.  The applicants are heirs to a property (a plot of land with a residential building located thereon) situated in central Warsaw on Jana Pawła II Avenue (previously Leszno Steet). 6.  The property belonged to Julian Charaziński and after his death on 15 May 1939 was inherited by his daughters: Władysława Zawistowska (legal predecessor of the applicants Małgorzata Gładysz-Wójcik, Andrzej and Piotr Zawistowski), Stefania Onichimowska (mother of the applicant Jolanta Serafin), Krystyna Gumułka (mother of the applicant Marta Plamenac), Czesława Paszkowska (grandmother of the applicant Katarzyna Okoniewksa), Julia Urbanek (mother of the applicant Teresa Urbanek). 7.  By virtue of the Decree of 26 October 1945 on the Ownership and Use of Land in Warsaw (“the 1945 Decree”) the ownership of all private land was transferred to the City of Warsaw. 8.  On 13 October 1948 the applicants and/or their legal predecessors requested to be granted the right of temporary ownership (własność czasowa) of the property pursuant to section 7 of the 1945 Decree. 9.  In 1990 and 1991 the applicants and/or their legal predecessors lodged with different administrative authorities numerous requests for return of the property. 10.  On 28 October 1991 the Town Planning Division of the City of Warsaw informed the applicants that their application of 13 October 1948 had not yet been examined, and would be examined now by the Warsaw Municipality on the basis of the 1945 Decree provisions, in force at the relevant time. 11.  On 28 April 1993, the Head of the Warsaw District Office rejected the applicants’ request of 1948 to be granted the right of perpetual use of the property (previously the right of temporary ownership). The authority observed that the property had already been used for public purposes (or was so designated according to the local land development plan), namely the widening of the Jana Pawła II Avenue and construction of a housing co-operative. Thus, the restitution of the property was impossible. 12.  The Head of the Office also declared that compensation for expropriation of the property should be sought in separate proceedings. 13.  On 2 November 1993 the applicants requested to be granted the right of perpetual use of land of equal value (as provided by the 1945 Decree) or to be awarded compensation in lieu. 14.  On 9 March 1995 the Head of the Warsaw District Office rejected the applicants’ request for compensation. He found that according to the Land Administration and Expropriation Act of 1985 (Ustawa o gospodarce gruntami i wywłaszczaniu nieruchomości) the applicants’ entitlement to compensation had expired on the date of entry into force of this law. 15.  The applicants appealed. 16.  On 13 November 1995 the Mazowiecki Governor upheld the decision. 17.  On 14 December 1995 the applicants appealed against the Governor’s decision to the Supreme Administrative Court. 18.  On 20 January 1998 the Supreme Administrative Court quashed both the first and second-instance decisions. 19.  On 17 March 1999 Aniela Gładysz, on behalf of the other applicants, complained to the Warsaw Regional Office about the inactivity of the administration and lack of any decision in the case. Apparently her complaint was transferred to the Warsaw Starost (local State administration body), as a result of administrative reforms. 20.  On 10 July 2000 Aniela Gładysz and on 17 August 2000, jointly with Krystyna Gumułka, complained to the Governor and to the Starost about the inactivity of the administration. 21.  On 5 October 2000, as a result of the administrative reforms, the Mazowiecki Governor transferred the applicants’ complaint to the Warsaw Local Government Board of Appeal. 22.  On 18 June 2001 the Warsaw Starost rejected the applicants’ request to be granted the right of perpetual use of another property or compensation in lieu. The applicants appealed. 23.  On 23 May 2002 the Mazowiecki Governor upheld the decision. The applicants appealed. 24.  On 15 November 2004 the Warsaw Regional Administrative Court dismissed the appeal. 25.  On 20 January 2005 the applicants lodged a cassation appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court. 26.  On 14 December 2005 the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed the cassation appeal.