The
title "Old Town" - Stare Miasto - is in some respects a misnomer for the
historic nucleus of Warsaw. Forty-five years ago this compact network
of streets and alleyways lay in rubble: even the cobbles have been
meticulously replaced. Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square), on the south
side of the Old Town, is the obvious place to start a tour. Here the
first thing to catch your eye is the bronze statue of Zygmunt III Waza, the king who made Warsaw the capital.
On the east side of the square is the former Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski), once home of the royal family and seat of the Polish parliament, now the Castle Museum
(Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun & Mon 11am-5pm; free Sun). Tickets can be
bought from around the corner, ul Swietojanska 2. Though the structure
is a replica, many of its furnishings are the originals, scooted into
hiding during the first bombing raids. After the Chamber of Deputies,
formerly the debating chamber of the parliament, the Grand Staircase
leads to the most lavish section of the castle, the Royal Apartments of King Stanislaw August. Through two smaller rooms you come to the magnificent Canaletto Room,
with its views of Warsaw by Bernardo Bellotto, nephew of the famous
Canaletto - whose name he appropriated to make his pictures sell better.
Marvellous in their detail, these cityscapes provided important
information for the architects rebuilding the city after the war. Next
door is the richly decorated Royal Chapel, where an urn contains
the heart - sacred to many Poles - of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, swashbuckling
leader of the 1794 insurrection and hero of the American War of
Independence.
On Swietojanska, north of the castle, stands St John's Cathedral, the oldest church in Warsaw, now regaining its old functions after the Communist era. A few yards away, the Old Town Square - Rynek Starego Miasta
- is one of the most remarkable bits of postwar reconstruction anywhere
in Europe. Flattened during the Warsaw Uprising, its three-storey
merchants' houses have been rebuilt to their seventeenth- and
eighteenth-century designs, multicoloured facades included. By day the
Rynek teems with visitors, who are catered for by buskers, artists,
cafés, moneychangers and dorozki, the traditional horse-drawn carts that clatter tourists round the Old Town for a sizeable fee. The Warsaw Historical Museum
(Tues & Thurs noon-6/7pm, Wed & Fri 10am-3.30pm, Sat & Sun
10.30am-4.30pm; free Sun) takes up a large part of the north side;
exhibitions here cover every aspect of Warsaw's life from its beginnings
to the present day, with a particularly moving chronicle of everyday
resistance to the Nazis. On the east side, the Mickiewicz Museum (Mon, Tues & Fri 10am-3pm, Wed & Thurs 11am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm; Thurs free) is a temple to the Romantic national poet.
From the Rynek, ul Nowomiejska leads to the sixteenth-century Barbakan,
which used to guard the Nowomiejska Gate, the northern entrance to the
city. The fortress is part of the old town defences, which run all the
way around from plac Zamkowy to the northeastern edge of the district.
Likely to be most visitors' first experience of Poland, WARSAW
makes an initial impression that is all too often negative.
The years
of Communist rule have left no great aesthetic glories, and there's
sometimes a hollowness to the faithful reconstructions of earlier eras.
However, as throughout Poland, the pace of social change is tangible and
fascinating, as the openings provided by the post-Communist order turn
the streets into a continuous marketplace, while the postwar dearth of
nightlife and entertainments is gradually becoming a complaint of the
past, as a plethora of new bars, restaurants and clubs establish
themselves.
Warsaw became the capital of Poland in 1596, when King Zygmunt III
moved his court here from Kraków. The city was badly damaged by the
Swedes during the invasion of 1655 and was then extensively
reconstructed by the Saxon kings in the late seventeenth century - the Saxon Gardens (Ogród Saski), right in the centre, date from this period. The Partitions
abruptly terminated this golden age, as Warsaw was absorbed into
Prussia in 1795. Napoleon's arrival in 1806 gave Varsovians brief hopes
of liberation, but following the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the city was
integrated into the Russian-controlled Congress Kingdom of Poland.
It was only with the outbreak of World War I that Russian control began
to crumble, and with the restoration of Polish independence in 1918,
Warsaw reverted to its position as capital. Then, with the outbreak of
World War II, came the progressive annihilation of the city. Hitler,
infuriated by the Warsaw Uprising, ordered the elimination of
Warsaw; by the end of the war 850,000 Varsovians - two-thirds of the
city's 1939 population - were dead or missing. The task of rebuilding
took ten years of ceaseless labour.
Wending its way north towards Gdansk and the Baltic Sea, the Wisla
river divides Warsaw neatly in half: the main sights are located on the
western bank, the eastern consisting predominantly of residential and
business districts. Somewhat to the north of centre, the busy Old Town provides the historic focal point.
Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. It is located on the Vistula river (Wisła) roughly 350 km from both the Baltic coast and the Carpathian Mountains (Karpaty). Its population was estimated at 2,869,000. Warsaw, also the capital of Masovian Voivodship (Mazowsze), is home to many industries (steel, electrical, automotive industry), higher learning institutions, a philharmonic orchestra, the National Theatre and Opera.
Get in Warsaw
By plane
There is an international airport Okęcie (officially named after Frederic Chopin, the Polish composer), which is not so far away from the main city centre. Polish Airlines LOT connect Warsaw with the main European cities, like London, Berlin, Paris, Rome and so on, and also cities on other continents (New York, Chicago, Sydney and others).
Bus number 175 (watch out for pickpockets) connects the airport to Central Rail station (Dworzec Centralny), which is in the Centre of the City, and with the Old Town. It is also possible to use taxis (see Taxis below).
When you leave Warsaw, take care that you should come about 1.5-1 hour earlier before the take-off, because of security reasons while checking-in.
By train
There are three main rail stations in Warsaw: Dworzec Zachodni (Warszawa Zachodnia, Warsaw West), Dworzec Centralny (Warszawa Centralna, Warsaw Central) and Dworzec Wschodni (Warszawa Wschodnia, Warsaw East). The other stations serve only local trains.
Warszawa Zachodnia and Warszawa Centralna are placed on the west bank of the Vistula River, and Warszawa Wschodnia is placed on the east bank. All three stations are connected, so every train that stops on Warszawa Centralna also stops at Warszawa Wschodnia, and usually (note, that not every one) also at Warszawa Zachodnia.
All the trains are operated by Polish State Railways (Polskie Koleje Państwowe, PKP). PKP keeps connection with number of European cities (see Poland::By train). There are also InterCity trains, which connect Warsaw with many cities of Poland (like Kraków, Katowice, Szczecin, Gdańsk). Suburbian trains are going to other stations (the nearest in the Centre is station Warszawa-Śródmieście; this station is easy to reach by foot from the Central Station).
WKD trains (the acronym stands for Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa, Warsaw Commuting Railroads) are handled from separate rail station (also near the Central Station) and connect the towns near Warsaw, like Pruszków, Podkowa Leśna, Grodzisk Mazowiecki and other small towns.
See: Polish State Railways (http://www.pkp.pl)
Get around
Walk
The main tourist centre of Warsaw is a square about 2 km wide, on the flat terrain, so it should not be a problem to walk through the city. Wilanów is placed about 15 km outside the centre, so you will probably need a bicycle, car or bus to get there. All streets have pavements.
When you cross the road, it is forbidden to cross while the red light is on, even if there is no car on the road. On not signaled crossing, cars has to stop if pedestrians are already on crossing.
Warsaw Public transport
Tickets
The same tickets types are used for trams, buses and metro.
Warsaw offers many different tickets, the tariff is displayed on each stop. One can use one-ride ticket, 24-hour ticket, 3-day ticket or week-ticket.
Bielany Location
Bielany district (with the surface of 3234 hectares) is situated in the Northern part of Warsaw on the left bank of Vistula River, in the vicinity if the Kampinoski National Park and is one of the loveliest and greenest Warsaw districts. The characteristic features of Bielany's countryside are, interalia, Bielany Forest, Młociny Park and Forest as well as Bemowo Forest. With the surface of 130 hectares, Bielany Forest, being a natural landscape reserve, is an ideal place for tourism. Both districts have preserved their ecological character and create portrait conditions for dwelling and development.
Investments
In case of Bielany district, it is planned to create a recreational and entertainment centre in Marymoncka Street (Bielany Europark) where swimming pools, playing grounds, courts and climbing walls would be present. This project also covers development of facilities along the bank of the Vistula River and building of a "recreational centre, an office centre with commercial and service parts (at the corner of Marymocka and Kasprowicza Streets), as well as "Northern junction" around the crossroads of Pstrowskiego, Marymoncka and Pułkowa Streets.
Warsaw is made up of 18 districts: Bemowo, Białołęka, Bielany, Mokotów, Ochota, Praga Płudnie, Praga Północ, Targówek, Rembertów, Śródmieście, Ursus, Ursynów, Wawer, Włochy, Wesoła, Wilanów, Wola, Żoliborz.
Bemowo district is situated on the Western out skirts of the town and constitutes its natural border. In the South, it is bordered by railway line, in the East - by an airport and in the West the district cuts across rural areas and almost reaches the edge of the Kampinowski Forest.
Białołęka district forms Warsaws Northern border. It is situated along the roads leading to Białystok, Gdańsk, Ostrołęka, Suwałki and the Zegrzyński Lake. Many industrial areas are situared in the South-Western part of the district, in residential areas of Stare Świdry, Konstantynów, Tarchomin, Annopol, Zerań and Zerań Wschodni.
Bielany district is situated in the Northern part of Warsaw on the left bank of Vistula River, in the vicinity if the Kampinoski National Park and is one of the loveliest and greenest Warsaw districts. The characteristic features of Bielany's countryside are, interalia, Bielany Forest, Młociny Park and Forest as well as Bemowo Forest. Bielany Forest, being a natural landscape reserve, is an ideal place for tourism. Both districts have preserved their ecological character and create portrait conditions for dwelling and development.
Mokotów district is situated on the right bank of the Vistula River. In the South, it borders the districts of Wilanów and Ursynów, in the West - Wawer district, in the East - Włochy and in the North - Ochota, Śródmieście and Praga Południe districts. Mokotów is a residential district. Embassies, residences, foreign delegations, well-known companies, public administration offices and radio and television broadcasting companies have found their place here.
Ochota district is situated in the South-Western part of Warsaw. It borders the districts of: Śródmieście, Włochy, Wola and Mokotów. Its proximity to Śródmieście district is definitely an advantage and attracts the investors. Along Jerozolimskie Avenue, in the three-kilometers section, the offices of many foreign companies are located. Ochota district covers the area of 972 hectares, of which 200 hectares are green areas.
Praga Południe district its dynamic development can be seen everywhere. Apart from many residential areas, built more than 10 years ago, e.g. Gocław-Lotnisko, Przyczółek Grochowski or Ignanska, new architecturally interesting residential complexes are being created. The district is the home of one of the most attractive residential districts in Warsaw, i.e. Saska Kępa - an exclusive villa district, characterized by its 1920s and 1930s-like construction style, rechecking Polish architectural trends of those years, from historic-style cottage-like and classical buildings to extreme functionalism. Many embassies have found their seat here.
Praga Północ district also lies on the right bank of the Vistula River. In the South, it borders Praga Południe district, in the East - Targówek district and in the West its neighbors are districts of Żoliborz and Śródmieście.
Rembertów district is on the far eastern side of the City of Warsaw, making it in a sense the gateway to the East and an entrance primarily through which the influences from Byelorussia and Russia enter Warsaw.
Śródmieście district can be called a cultural and recreational heart of the capital. Situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, in the very center of Warsaw and is possibly the most important district in Warsaw and probably is the most important district in Poland. The word, "śródmieście", in Polish means the "center of town". The district borders a railway line running through Warszawa Gdańska Station in the North, Jana Pawła II Avenue and Niepodległości Avenue in the West and in the South it runs thoroughly Batorego, Boya Żeleńskiego, Spacerowa, Gagarina, Podchorążych Streets, down Czerniakowska Street to the Vistula River and along Bartycka Street.
Targówek district is situated on the right bank of the Vistula River. In the South, it borders Praga Południe and Rembertów districts, in the East - Praga Północ district and in the North - Bialoleka district. It occupies the surface of 2,436 hectares, i.e. 5% of total Warsaw's surface.
Ursus is the smallest of all Warsaw districts. It is situated in the Western part of the capital, 9 km away from the city centre. In terms of communication, the favorable location of Ursus at the confluence of international roads and railway lines has to be pointed out. Approximately 1 km from Ursus' Northern border the international E-30 (Poznań) road runs in the East-West direction. A few Kilometric to the South from Ursus, two international North-South roads run: E-67 Katowice road and E-77 Kraków road.
Ursynów district is situated almost entirely on the Warsaw Plain, 20-30 meters above the level of the Vistula River and it spreads over the Southern part of Warsaw. In the district and its vicinity, there arc three natural reserves. The reserve of the Kabacki Forest is a remaining of huge Mazowiecka Wilderness. There are also the reserve of the Natoliński Forest and a newly created reserve of Ursynowska Escarpment. The location of the district at Warsaw`s border and the number of existing natural and landscape sites makes this area play an important role in natural ecosystems by enriching the natural ecological shied of the capital. Moreover, the district is almost free from industrial plants, buildings or equipment that, while operating, could be harmful to the natural environment.
Wawer district is situated on the right bank of the Vistula River, in the Southern part of Warsaw. In the North it borders Rembertów and Praga Południe districts and in the West - Mokotów and Wilanów districts. The area of Wawer district is 7971 hectares of which forests occupy 34.5%. Thus this is a green district, famous for its climatic qualities and a traditional health resort. It is also famous for its rich forests forming the Mazowiecki Landscape Park.
Wesoła districts is situated in the eastern part of the Warsaw, in the right bank of thw Vistula River, covers the area of 23 sq km. The area of Wesoła, is comparable to Rembertów and Praga Południe. Compared to other districts, Wesoła is last but one in terms of the number of residents, before the 13,000-strong Wilanów. It is also one of the least urbanized districts-its population density is only 650 people per sq km.
Wilanów district is situated in the South of Warsaw, on the Ieft bank of Vistula River. In the West, the district borders Ursynów, in the North - Mokotów and in the East - Wawer, a district situated on the right bank of the Vistula River. Wilanów is one of the loveliest districts in Poland and even abroad. It owes its fame to the King Jan III Sobieski who decided to build here his summer residence.
Włochy district is situated in the South-Eastern outskirts of the capital, far enough as not to let the city turmoil reach it and ac the same time so close that the communication with the city centre does not pose any problem. Somebody who wants to Iive in the district will surely appreciate the charm of its Iow, small buildings. However, it is the presence of nearby airport and not aesthetics that influence the limited height of the buildings. A favorable location is also of importance - two main roads going out of Warsaw run through Okęcie: Krakowska Avenue and Jerozolimskie Avenue.
Wola district is situated in the Western part of Warsaw and borders the North-Western part of industrial Żoliborz, the Northern part of peripheral railway line, Jana Pawła II Avenue, Jerozolimskie Avenue, the Warsaw Commuting Railway line (WKD), the Southern part of railway line at the section Warszawa Włochy - Warszawa Zachodnia, the Western part of railway line cutting across Polczyńska and Górczewska Streets, the Western part of Kolo Forest, the North-Western part of Armii Krajowej Avenue.
Żoliborz district is situated in the North-West part of Warsaw, on the Ieft bank of the Vistula River. Two main communication arteries run through the district: Armii Krajowej Route, linking the Eastern and Western part of the town and Wisłostrada, linking the North with the South. The Western part of the district is the place where the Powązki Cemetery and a complex of industrial area are located.
Warsaw in brief
- Area - 512 sq km
- Inhabitants- 1,9 million
- Inhabitants with suburbs -2,7 million
- Density of population - 3.300 residents per sq km
- Average monthly salary - 3,190 PLN
- Per capita GDP - 52,630 PLN
- Nimber of business - 254.362
- Age - 19% of inhabitants are less than 17 years old
- State universities and academies - 13 (150.000 students)
- Private high schools - 55 (200.000 students)
- Greenery - 24% of the city`s area
- Structure - 18 districts: Białołęka, Targówek, Rembertów, Wawer, Wilanów, Ursynów, Włochy, Ursus, Bemowo, Bielany. Praga Południe, Praga Północ, Mokotów, Śródmieście, Ochota, Wesoła, Wola, Żoliborz.
