A friend
asked me lately to give him some information on what to see in Warsaw
(Warszawa) and in Cracow (Kraków) and I thought this might be a good starting
point for my official big Come Back. I’ve been really busy this past year,
working and travelling a lot (why wouldn’t I, this is after all my Kashmir Road
which I like to follow) so please forgive me for a long break – hopefully I
will be able to make it up to you all.
So, here it
is –this time for my friends from abroad (and those in Poland who can speak
English;-))) – my personal guide to…
I can call
Warsaw my third hometown – after Kraków and New York City. Since there is an
eternal animosity between people from Kraków and from Warsaw (which I guess
started sometime in 1600s when king Zygmunt III Waza moved the capital of
Poland from Warsaw to Kraków), as a true Cracovian, I was never really fond of
Warsaw. Thinking about where I could live my life I always imagined any other
place but Warsaw. But fate likes to laugh in our face, and 13 years ago I got a
job in Warsaw and, wanting or not, I started my new life here.
At first I
didn’t like the city, so different to the laid back Kraków or lively NYC. The
architecture in the city center made my heart bleed – ugly socialistic blocks
of flats right next to the first tall (and quite nice) office buildings – the
city was completely destroyed during the II World War and I guess no one put
any urban thought into putting the buildings into a nice order when rebuilding
it. I was used to spending my life on the main square of the city with both
local people and tourists around me, having fun until the wee hours of the
morning (which could be said both about Kraków and NYC). But Warsaw was a
different place – quite busy during the day, but divided between the city
center (for local people) and the Old Town (just for tourists), with streets
getting empty around 11 pm (including weekends).
But over
the years, the city changed completely – more and more new, tall buildings are
built, hiding the ugly blocks of flats between them. More clubs, pubs and
restaurants are opened, so now you can party all night long or have a taste of
any kitchen in the world. There are plenty of theatres where you can see the
best Polish actors known from movies or TV. And the Old City is not a forgotten
place anymore. I found places that I like a lot, that bring back the history
(even if a reconstructed one) or are just for fun or nice to look at. No other
city in Poland is so green, with so many city parks around. So now, I can
sincerely say, that is it worth to visit Warsaw – the capital of Poland.
Old and new building combined
Old Town
Marszałkowska Street
City Center by night
Palace of Culture and Science
Złote Tarasy
Palace of Culture and Science
There’s a
lot to see in Warsaw, both new and old (although you have to remember that
Warsaw was heavily destroyed during the II World War, so most of the old
looking buildings and monuments are actually a reconstruction of what they used
to be before the war).
The city
center next to the Central Train Station is the modern part of the city with
skyscrapers and unusual buildings like Złote Tarasy – the shopping center right
next to the train station (a good place for some shopping). Also there is the
Palace of Science and Culture close to the train station – this is one of the
tallest buildings in Warsaw, the remains of the communistic times in Poland –
it was a gift to Poland from the Soviet Union, so there’s quite a lot of people
in Warsaw that want to tear down. I actually like that building and I think
it’s one of the landmarks of the city. Anyway, now there are several theatres
here, a concert hall, a movie theater, science museum (even though a little
dusty one) – a lot is going on. It’s worth going on top of it with a fast
elevator – the view of the city is amazing. In the Palace (right opposite the
street from Złote Tarasy) is the tourist information – they have a lot of free
maps and information on what to see in Warsaw, so it’s a good starting point to
do the sightseeing.
The Palace of Culture and Science
Warsaw skyscrapers
Warsaw skyscrapers
Złote Tarasy
City center
Warsaw skyscrapers
Palace of Culture and Science
From the
city center I recommend to take a walk towards the Old Town (you can also take
a bus or a train to go there, but the walk I will describe allows you to see some
additional landmarks of the city) – this is my favourite route, and I usually
take visiting friends on the walk there. Starting from the Palace of Science
and Culture you should go towards Grzybowski Square (plac Grzybowski) – there
is a nice church there with a small park in front of it. Also, behind the tall
apartment building a synagogue is hidden – I don’t think you can visit it (they
open it for visitors on some occasions, but unless you are Jewish I don’t think
you can go inside on a regular day) but it’s nice to see from the outside. This
part of the city used to be the Jewish quarter – you can still see some old
buildings from before the war there, although right now they are undergoing a
heavy renovation. At the end of the summer there is a Jewish Festival on
Grzybowski Square, with concerts of Jewish music, stalls with traditional
Jewish food and things – if you are in Warsaw at that time, you should
definitely visit it.
Grzybowski Square
Jewish Festival
Jewish Festival
Jewish Festival
Jewish Festival
Jewish Festival
The Synagogue
The Synagogue
The Synagogue
Grzybowski Square
Grzybowski Square - the old Jewish ghetto buildings
From
Grzybowski Square, you should go towards Królewska Street – on the corner of Królewska
and Marszałkowska Street you will find a big park called Saski Garden (Saski
Ogród) – you should take a walk through it – do find a round white building
overlooking a pound with ducks swimming in it (it’s an old water pump built to
look like the Vesta Temple in Tivoli) – it’s one of my favourite places in
Warsaw. Also at the end of the main alley there is a big white fountain –
behind it there is a Grave of the Unknown Soldier – soldiers from the
representative squad guard it day and night and there’s always a fire burning
inside of it. This is actually a remaining part of the huge palace that was
located there – you can see a miniature of that palace between the fountain and
the Grave. There was an idea to rebuild that palace a few year ago, but I think
they gave up on it.
The Unknown Soldier Grave
The Unknown Soldier Grave
The Unknown Soldier Grave
The Water Pump in Saski Garden
Saski Garden
Saski Garden
In front of
the Grave there is a big Square (many public events take place there – when the
Pope John Paul II visited Poland this is the place where he held a mess for the
people from Warsaw – you can still see a big cross left in memory of that
event). Standing with your back to the Grave on the right (a little to the
back) you will see a big white building – it’s Zachęta Gallery (mostly with
modern art exhibitions), famous, because the first Polish president was shot
there by a mad man. To the left you will see a modern building – the
Metropolitan (constructed by the same architect that constructed the so called
“Cucumber” building in London) – do go inside to the courtyard – there’s my
favourite fountain there – the dancing fountain – check out how the water
changes and children play in it. Behind that building the National Opera is
located (which is also worth a visit, if you have time and luck try to get tickets
to the opera show).
Piłsudski Square
Piłsudski Square
The fountains in Metropolitan building
The fountains in Metropolitan building
From there
you should go towards Krakowskie Przedmieście – the street that goes towards
the Old Town – you should enter it around Bristol Hotel – one of the oldest and
most prestigious hotels in town. Next to it (to the left) the President’s
Palace is located. Continue along the street –at the end of the street you will
see a big square with the Castle (to the right) and Zygmunt III Waza column (he
was the king that changed the capital of Poland from Kraków to Warsaw,
remember?) – this is the beginning of the Old Town. From the bridge over the
street that goes under the square you can see the Vistula River and the
National Stadium (a big, round, red and white building) on the other side of
the river. You can visit the Castle – they have a permanent exhibition showing
the rooms of the castle and usually some temporary ones – some exhibitions are
for free. It’s even worth just to see the courtyard.
The National Stadium
The Castle Square
The President's Palace
One of the churches on Krakowskie Przedmieście
The Castle
Krakowskie Przedmieście
Krakowskie Przedmieście
The Castle
Krakowskie Przedmieście
The National Stadium
The Castle Square - Christmas Time
From the
Castle walk towards the main square of the Old Town - with beautiful old houses
and cafes. If you go through the middle street towards the square you will pass
several interesting churches including the Cathedral. In the middle of the
square there is a statue of a mermaid – mermaid is a symbol of Warsaw (there is
a legend about the mermaid called Sawa that lived in the Vistula River and a
young man called Wars, who fell in love with her – you can guess how the city
got its name;-))) and you will find more statues of the mermaid around the city.
The Marmaid on the Main Square
One of the streets of Old Town
The Cathedral
The entrance to one of the churches in the Old Town
One of the streets of Old Town
The Main Square of Old Town
The Main Square of Old Town
The Main Square of Old Town
From the
square go right to Celna Street – at the end turn left – there is a small
terrace overviewing the river. Turn left into Dawna Street – a small and
beautiful street with a blue closed balcony over the street, connecting the
buildings. Go back to the main square and walk towards Nowomiejska street –
this street ends with Barbakan – a round tower/gate and with city walls. Go
through the gate of Barbakan and continue straight ahead – you are entering the
New Town. Continue until you will see the main square of the New Town on your
left – go towards the church at the end of the square, turn left and then right
(you will see another, brick church on the left) – go towards the stairs that
go down to yet another fountain – in the summer on Fridays and Saturdays, at
9:30 pm, there’s a fountain light and sound show, which is really worth seeing.
On the way back – go back towards the Barbakan and instead of entering the Old
Town, go to your right, along the city walls – at some point you will see a
small monument of a boy in a helmet and carrying a gun – this is a young
uprising fighter, a symbol of all the children that fought during the II World
War in Warsaw. At the end of the city walls you will go back to the Castle –
there are bus and tram stops there, so you can catch one there.
The Fountains
The Fountains
The Barbakan
The New Town
The house where Maria Skłodowska Curie was born
The New Town Square
The Fountains
The New Town
The New Town
The Barbakan
City walls
The Little Uprising Fighter
The Old Town
City walls and the Castle
The Fountains - Light show
The Fountains - Light show
The little Uprising Fighter
The other
thing that is worth visiting in Warsaw is Łazienki Park – a big park, where the
Palace on the Water, the President’s residence (called Belweder) and the famous
Chopin monument is located. It’s really big, so be prepared for a long walk,
but it’s nice with peacocks and ducks and squirrels looking for something to
eat (and don’t forget to feed the big fish in the pound as well). Close to the
park there is another castle – Ujazdowski Castle, where a gallery of modern art
is located. If you go behind the castle, you will see nice terraces with ponds
and fountains, which were build in a similar way to Versaille gardens.
Palace on the Water
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
Chopin Monument
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
Łazienki Park
The peacock
Palace on the Water
Łazienki Park
Palace on the Water
Another peacock
Palace on the Water
King Jan III Sobieski Monument
You can
also go to Wilanów Palace, which is a little bit farther from the city center.
This was the favourite palace of king Jan III Sobieski – the one that won over
the Turks in the famous battle under Vienna. You can visit the inside of the
palace as well as have a walk around the beautiful gardens around it. There’s a
nice little church close to the entrance to the Palace which is nice to see as
well.
If you want
to see some museums, you should definitely go to the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
This is a multimedia museum, really interesting, showing, day by day, how the
uprising happened (http://www.1944.pl/en/).
The Warsaw Uprising Museum
The Warsaw Uprising Museum
The Warsaw Uprising Museum
The Warsaw Uprising Museum
Another
museum which is fun to visit is Copernicus Center (http://www.kopernik.org.pl/en/)
– this is a science museum, but also multimedia – you can take part in some of
the exhibitions. Be prepared for a lot of children running around. If you
decide to go there you should also go to the movie show in the observatory.
Right next to this museum is the Warsaw University Library – a very interesting
building, with a roof garden that you can visit (it has a nice view of the Old
Town and the river).
Copernicus Center
Copernicus Center
Copernicus Center
Copernicus Center
The Garden on the roof of the University Library
The Garden on the roof of the University Library
The Garden on the roof of the University Library
The Garden on the roof of the University Library
Another multimedia museum is Chopin Museum (http://chopin.museum/en/new/exposition/id/212),
showing the life and work of the famous Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin. When
you walk around the city you may notice black stone benches with some
inscription on top of it – these are musical benches with information about
life of Chopin – when you press the button you will hear some music composed by
Chopin. Close to the Chopin Museum you may notice a small fountain with the
duck wearing a crown on her head – there is a legend about the Golden Duck, who
supposedly lived under the buildings there, guarding unimaginable treasures.
The Golden Duck
The Chopin Museum
The Chopin Museum
The Chopin Museum
If you are
interested in Jewish history of the city, you can try to find a part of the
original ghetto wall – you have to look for the small sign on Złota Street
(close to the John Paul II street) – the entrance is between the shops and you
will find it in the courtyard between some apartment buildings. Also, there is
a new Jewish history museum – the permanent exhibition will be open in autumn
2014 but the building is already opened for the city and I’m told it’s very
interesting (something I have to check out in the near future). You will find a
lot of monuments around the city related to Jewish history and a big (and beautiful)
old Jewish cemetery.
Ghetto Wall
Ghetto Wall
Ghetto Wall
To be continued...