Unsung Warsaw
View over Warsaw from the Palace of Science and Culture lookout platform
“…be admired for something more substantial than well-knownness… be the unsung hero…” Daniel J. Boorstin
Poland’s capital city, Warsaw, is a modern, dynamic, and visibly changing city, the country’s economic and political center. With origins in the 13th century, it is rich in culture, has a variety of charming neighborhoods, and delicious cuisine. Yet, this home of world-famous residents like Nicolas Copernicus, Frederic Chopin, and Marie Curie is unsung and less visited than many other European capitals.
The historic Old Town, razed to the ground during WWII, was monumentally and fully reconstructed in its medieval configuration, including buildings that dated to the town’s origins, and has received UNESCO designation for the results. Strolling through the enchanting cobblestone streets past charming shops and cafes with outdoor seating in a lively atmosphere, the relative newness is not apparent. The Royal Castle, residence of Polish monarchs for centuries, is watched over by King Sigismund on his column. It now houses an impressive collection of royal art and has exquisite gardens worth exploring.
The nearby Old Town Market Place is the oldest part of Warsaw, originating in the late 1200s with the city’s founding. This vibrant hub is centered on a statue of the legendary Warsaw Mermaid and lined with colorful (rebuilt) ancient townhouses and restaurants. Soaking up the atmosphere here is a favorite pastime of residents. Steps away, the Barbacan gate and remains of Warsaw’s fortifications, which separated the Old Town from the New Town, have a walkway with views of the river. Before 1408, the New Town had its own Market Square, now adorned with the Unicorn Well and Baroque Saint Kazimierz Church. As the New Town grew, it came to include a town hall, gracefully arcaded buildings, the 1867 birth house of Nobel laureate Marie Sklodowska-Curie, now an enlightening museum of her life and work, and sidewalk markers memorializing the borders of the 1940-3 Warsaw Ghetto.
Warsaw’s Royal Route stretches 11km (6.8 mi) and is so-called because Polish monarchs travelled the stately road into the city to the former royal Wilanów Palace. Throughout the centuries, diplomats and distinguished visitors passed notable landmarks along the route, including the grand Warsaw University gate, a statue of Nicolas Copernicus at the beautiful Staszic Palace of the Polish Academy of Sciences, St. Anne’s Church, with its stunning interior and the bell tower observation deck, and Pilsudski Square, where guards change at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every hour. Today, many of the beautiful buildings house embassies near the official Presidential Palace, while others are elegant hotels, restaurants, and official buildings.
Below the Old Town on the Vistula River, Warsaw University Library’s roof garden is a gratis green getaway divided into two parts; the upper and lower are joined by a cascading stream. There are views back to the city and to the Vistula Boulevards, along the river’s left bank, where people stroll, jog, cycle, relax, or visit floating bars for refreshments. Of Warsaw’s many lovely parks, the Royal Lazienki offers a special treat: free Chopin open-air summer concerts at the Chopin Monument.
In Warsaw’s modern city district, the Museum of Life During Communism provides a fascinating insight into daily life during those decades. Next to the central station, the Palace of Science and Culture is an enormous communist-era building with an ornate clock tower that houses theaters, concert halls, museums, and cinemas. The 30th-floor viewing terrace, reached by elevator, has the city’s highest lookout.
Don’t Miss:
Seeing the exquisite interior of the Palace of Science and Culture, and the view over Warsaw from the lookout platform.
Serendipity:
Finding the Unexpected- Happening to emerge from the Saxon Garden exactly on time to witness a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Lunch Tip:
U Fukiera Restaurant on the Old Town Market Place for excellent local fare and wine.
Rest-stop Tip:
The elegant Bristol Café in the Bristol Hotel, near the Presidential Palace, for tea and cake.
Bedtime:
H15 Boutique Hotel, an artistic hotel in a 19th-century building near the Central Station, yet not in the modern Center.
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*All photographs are mine, taken with my Nikon D5600 or iPhone 14 Pro.*