Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly 370 kilometers (230 mi) from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2007 was estimated at 1,706,624, with a metropolitan area of approximately 3,350,000.
The city area is 516.9 square kilometers (199.6 sq mi), with an agglomeration of 6,100.43 square kilometers (2,355.4 sq mi) (Warsaw Metro Area Obszar Metropolitalny Warszawy). Warsaw is the 8th largest city in the European Union. Warsaw gave its name to the Warsaw Pact, Warsaw Convention, Treaty of Warsaw and the Warsaw Uprising.
The Warsaw Convention Bureau is the official tourist information agency in Warsaw and can provide visitors with information regarding hotels, attractions, and events. They also have maps for travelers. Unfortunately, the bureau’s website isn’t well designed and doesn’t provide all that great of information, though, it can be helpful. They operate three locations in Warsaw.
There are a few other organizations that are useful when planning or looking for information about a trip to Warsaw. The City of Warsaw has a lot of useful information on its website and would be a good place to get some information. Destination Warsaw has some useful information, but seems to trump up its members’ products, restaurants, and services over others. It’s main goal is the promotion of Warsaw as a destination abroad. Warsaw Voice, an English language weekly newspaper, maintains a good calendar of events.
A wise investment may be the Warsaw Tourist Card, which can either be purchased for a 24 hour period or three days. The card will get you into museums for free or for a discount. It also doubles as a ticket for public transportation in Warsaw. You may also be able to get discounts at galleries, sports facilities, shops, restaurants, and discounted tours, car rentals, or accommodation. The card can be purchased at the tourist agency’s offices around the city, some hotels, and a few other locations.
It is often said that Warsaw bears some resemblance to the mythical Phoenix. Having been completely destroyed, the city somehow managed to lift itself from the ashes. In the aftermath of the 1944 Uprising against the Nazis, Warsaw was obliterated with nine out of every 10 buildings crumbled to ruins. At the end of World War II (1939-45), it was virtually uninhabited, yet with a tremendous reconstruction effort, most of the city was rebuilt as early as the 1950s.
The Communist era (1945-1989) has significantly contributed to the city architecture, with the most noticeable landmark, the Palace of Culture and Science a “personal gift” from Joseph Stalin, dominating the Warsaw landscape.
Since the fall of communism, Warsaw has been developing rapidly, even chaotically at times. Certainly, the harmonization of urban landscape was of little importance to the country’s first entrepreneurs, as they were busy plugging gaps in supply by selling various items on a provisional basis.
Warsaw’s all about change now. You wouldn’t recognize the city if you saw it ten years ago. In the next ten years, it will be changed again. If you want to go off the beaten path, you can still see some of Warsaw’s peculiarities before they disappear forever.
The Warsaw Uprising, not to be confused with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, is a strong statement testifying to the spirit and soul of not only Varsovians, but all Poles. After five years under German occupation, the leaders of the Polish underground resistance fought back against the Nazis. With over 45,000 troops already in Warsaw, the Home Army (also referred to as the “AK”) and several allied organizations took up strategic locations around the city and began the Uprising.
Nationwide, there were roughly 400,000 troops involved in the resistance. The Uprising was scheduled to begin at the “W-hour”, or on August 1, 1944 at 5PM. However, because the order wasn’t prepared in time, the liaisons and couriers were unable to get the word out in time because of the curfew in force at the time. In the the city center, and the districts of Wola and ?oliborz fighting broke out before the “W-hour”.
The effectiveness was amazing, particularly in the first few days. Within days of fighting, the Polish resistance had secured key locations which allowed for the creation of a Polish postal service in Warsaw. The creation of resistance hospitals and cafés gave Varsovians and the insurgents much needed medical care and rest. Despite German and Soviet efforts to spread propaganda, the immediate surge of Polish newspapers and radio stations helped to defeat the propaganda campaign.
Fighting continued until October 5, 1944 when the Home Army and its allied organizations surrendered. Despite its successes and valor, the Polish fighters were outnumbered and outgunned. The Home Army was unable to continue its fight without the help of the Allies.
America and Britain did very little to support the Uprising, other than dropping some supplies over the city (the Soviet Union refused to allow the use of airfields in territory under its control).
The Soviet Union took a multifaceted role by allying themselves with the Home Army to win victories against the Germans in other Polish territories, then disarming and imprisoning the Polish soldiers. The Soviet Union purposely allowed the Warsaw Uprising to fail by abandoning the Home Army and Varsovians so it could install a puppet government easier.
After the surrender, the German army, despite its agreements under the surrender treaty, destroyed over 85% of Warsaw in retaliation for the uprising, including the “Old Town” which was rebuilt after the war. Of 987 historically important buildings, only 64 were left untouched by the Germans. Polish soldiers were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Warsaw’s civilian population was “evacuated” with some being sent to concentration camps, or sent to Germany for forced labor. Others were sent to different Polish cities.
In the end, the Uprising cost 180,000 civilians their lives, the lives of an additional 18,000 insurgents, the capital its glory, and the Polish nation its long-desired independence. The only thing that persevered was the Polish spirit.
Warsaw straddles the Vistula River. It is located in the heartland of the Masovian Plain, and its average altitude is 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level, although there are some hills (mostly artificial) located within the confines of the city. Warsaw has four seasons, although, it may, at times, seem like it has two seasons – winter and summer. The summers are cool to warm with temperatures varying from the low-50’s (Fahrenheit) to mid-70’s (Fahrenheit). Temperatures in the fall can vary wildly.
One day, you may experience sub-freezing temperatures and the next day you could experience temperatures in the 60’s (Fahrenheit). Winter in Warsaw can be incredibly cold. Be sure to bring warm clothing, coats, scarves, and gloves. The average high in January is 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Warsaw’s mixture of architectural styles reflects the turbulent history of the city and country. During World War II, Warsaw was razed to the ground by bombing raids and planned destruction. After liberation, rebuilding began as in other cities of the communist-ruled PRL. Many of the old buildings that preserved in reconstructible form were eradicated in the 1950s and 1960s (e.g. Leopold Kronenberg Palace). Mass residential blocks were erected, with basic design typical of Eastern bloc countries.
Public spaces attract heavy investment, so that the city has gained entirely new squares, parks and monuments. Warsaw’s current urban landscape is one of modern and contemporary architecture.
Although many streets were widened, and new ones created, during rebuilding of Warsaw in 1950s, the city is currently plagued with traffic problems. Public transport in Warsaw is ubiquitous, serving the city with buses, tramways, and metro.
Warsaw lacks a good circular road system and most traffic goes directly through the city centre. Currently two circular roads are under consideration. The first (called OEW, or Obwodnica Etapowa Warszawy) is planned to run approximately 10 kilometers (6 mi) from the city centre through the city streets and across two new bridges.
Warsaw has one international airport, Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (usually referred to as Ok?cie airport), located just 10 kilometers (6 mi) from the city centre. With over 70 international and domestic flights a day and with over 8,270,000 passengers served in 2006, it is by far the biggest airport in Poland. Immediately adjacent to the main terminal complex Terminal 1, is the Etiuda terminal, serving routes flown by low-cost carriers.
A new Terminal 2 has been opened in March 2008 in order to alleviate current overcrowding, and to extend the airport’s capacity by another 6 million passengers. Terminal 2 servers domestic and international flights operated only by Star Alliance carriers. There are plans to convert disused military Modlin Airport, 35 kilometers (22 mi) north of the city centre, into the second Warsaw airport, mainly for low-cost carriers.
Public transport in Warsaw includes, buses, trams (streetcars), metro and regional rail. The first three are operated by the ZTM (Zarzad Transportu Miejskiego, the Warsaw Transport Authority). There are also some suburban bus lines run by private operators.
There are three tourist routes: “T”, a vintage tram running in July and August; bus “100″ which runs on weekends and which operates the only double-decker bus owned by the city; and the “180″ bus, a regular scheduled service that follows the “Royal Route” from the War Cemetery in the North, near the Old Town and down city’s most prestigious thoroughfares – Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat and Aleje Ujazdowskie – and terminating at Wilanów Palace.
Bus service covers the entire city, with approx. 170 routes totalling about 2,603 kilometers (1,617 mi) in length, and with some 1,600 vehicles. Between midnight and 5 am the city and suburbs are served by night lines. The first tram (streetcar) line in Warsaw was opened on 11 December 1866. The last horse-drawn tram ran on 26 March 1908. In the period between the world wars, the tram network was nationalized and extended significantly. After the German invasion of September 1939 the service was halted for approximately three months due to war damage, but the trams were back in service by 1940. In 1941 the present colours of the cars were introduced (yellow and red, in the colours of the Flag of Warsaw. Previously, trams were painted either white and red, or entirely red).
During the Warsaw Uprising the tram system was destroyed. The first tram line was reopened on 20 June 1945. Following the Second World War the tram network in Warsaw underwent fast development. The tracks reached all the principal parts of the city. However, in the sixties the official policy of both Polish and Soviet authorities promoted the use of Soviet oil, hence more buses were purchased and the tram network was shortened.
Currently the Tramwaje Warszawskie company runs 863 cars on almost 470 kilometers (292 mi) of track. Twenty-odd lines run across the city with additional lines opened on special occasions (such as All-Saints Day).
Warsaw is home to over 30 major theatres spread throughout the city, including the National Theatre (founded in 1765) and the Grand Theatre in Warsaw (established 1778). Warsaw also attracts many young and off-stream directors and performers who add to the city’s theatre culture. Their productions may be viewed mostly in smaller theatres and Houses of Culture (Domy Kultury), mostly outside Srodmiescie (downtown Warsaw). Warsaw hosts the International Theatrical Meetings.
Although today’s Warsaw is a fairly young city, it has a lot of tourist attractions. Apart from the Warsaw Old Town quarter, carefully reconstructed after World War II, each borough has something to offer. Among the most notable landmarks of the Old Town are the Royal Castle, King Sigismund’s Column, Market Square, and the Barbican.
Major Tourist attractions:
- Further south is the so-called Royal Route, with many classicist palaces, the Presidential Palace and the Warsaw University campus. Also the popular Nowy Swiat Street is worth mentioning.
- Warsaw’s oldest public park, the Ogród Saski, is located within 10 minutes’ walk from the old town.
- Warsaw’s biggest public park and said to be the most beautiful is the ?azienki Park. It is also very old — established in the 17th century and given its current classical shape in late 18th century — is located further south, on the Royal Route, about 3 km from the Warsaw Old Town
- The Powazki Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Europe, full of sculptures, some of them by the most renowned Polish artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Since it serves the religious communities of Warsaw, be it Catholics, Jews, Muslims or Protestants, it is often called a necropolis. Nearby is the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe.
- To the north of the city centre is the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto.
- The borough of Zoliborz is famous for its architecture from the 1920s and 1930s. Between ?oliborz and the Vistula River is the Warsaw Citadel, a monument of 19th century military architecture.
- Former royal residence of king Jan III Sobieski — Wilanów Palace is notable for their baroque architecture and beautiful parks.
- Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Palace of Culture and Science, a Soc-realist skyscraper located in the city centre, the Stadion Dziesi?ciolecia which used to be the biggest open-air market in Europe and the Plac Konstytucji with its monumental Social realism architecture. The central part of the right-bank (east) Praga borough it is a place where very run-down houses stand right next to modern apartment buildings and shopping malls.
- Ulica Kubusia Puchatka, probably the only street in the world named after Winnie-the-Pooh and located in the very centre of a metropolis.
Being the new up-and-coming city in the EU has meant that Warsaw has seen an influx in investment by hotel companies and will continue to see growth of the hospitality industry, especially as Poland is slated to co-host the Euro Cup in 2012 and a Polish city will be one of the 2016 European Capital of Culture cities. For travelers, there is no shortage of budget, mid-range, or splurge accommodation options in Warsaw. Most appealing hotels and hostels will be found in either Srodmiescie, Wola, Mokotów. For the business traveler, there are plenty of hotels near the airport too. There are also campgrounds in Wlochy, Wawer, Wola, Ochota and Mokotow.
Leave a Reply