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I have to admit that I didn’t think of going to Warsaw until I planned a trip to Poland. No matter whom you ask, I think it is not at the top of the list of places to visit. But when I was visiting a new country, I thought I shouldn’t skip the capital 🙂
Although it is not a very attractive city from a touristic point of view, I think it is the best example of how to stand up again after a devastating war. So do not forget this point, as you walk around in the streets here.
This city, which was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, was rebuilt in accordance with its old architecture. It is also known as “the city reborn from the ashes”. The people of Warsaw, who wanted to rebuild their city in the aftermath of the war in great poverty, rebuilt the city using the remaining materials from the destroyed buildings. For this reason, the term “to be reborn from the ashes” comes into being in this city.
Barbican
This is the entrance gate to the old city centre that was rebuilt after the war. Since there was not enough material at that time, only the outer facade was built. The inner part still doesn’t exist today.
In my article about Krakow, I wrote about the endless strife between the two cities. According to our guide in Krakow, this Barbican was rebuilt to avoid being overshadowed by the original Barbican in Krakow, which was unharmed from the war. According to our guide in Warsaw, the reason was to preserve the historical fabric of the city. The decision is up to you J
Warsaw Old Town Square
You enter the old town square when you go through the Barbican and continue in the narrow street in front of you. As in any European city, there is also a town square here and it was rebuilt after the war. With this feature, it is actually the only “new old city centre” in the UNESCO World Heritage List. A pleasant place with colourful buildings.
Royal Palace in Warsaw
The Royal Palace, which is located in the old city, was almost completely destroyed in the war and rebuilt like all the other buildings here. You can still see the bullet holes from the war, as it is built on the remaining walls. These war-torn walls are about 50 centimetres high and help you estimate the extent of damage of the city.
Krakowski Street
From the square in front of the Royal Palace, Krakowski Street leads you to the new part of the city. There are many shops, cafes and restaurants on the street and also many important buildings. The church where the heart of Chopin is buried and the Copernicus Monument are some of them. There are also some of the city’s most pleasant places to eat or have a drink in the evening.
Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science
We are heading towards the new part of the city on Krakowski Street. When we turn right at the end, we face the Palace of Science and Culture. This magnificent building built by Stalin is a symbol of communist times and is not liked by most of the local people. Many of the high buildings in the city have been built around this one in order to try to hide it, but I cannot say that they were successful.
Warsaw Ghetto
Like many other Polish cities, Warsaw also had a ghetto district where Jews were gathered in the war. Today there is almost nothing left from this area, but the walls of the time are marked on the streets today. If you can read the words on this line you will see while walking on the road, you are outside of the Ghetto region. When you enter it, the words are reversed.
Warsaw Uprising Monument
I think the Uprising Monument is one of the most important structures of the city. With the hope of the approaching Red Army in 1944, the people of Warsaw started an uprising and aimed to save the city from the German occupation. They hoped the Red Army would come and supported them shortly, but the army had unexpectedly withdrawn and failed to support the insurrection.
Approximately 20,000 insurgents and 200,000 civilians lost their lives in this resistance. The survivors managed to escape by using the city’s sewers. In the background of the photograph, the beginning of the uprising is symbolized, while the front part of the monument symbolizes the end of the insurrection.
War Remnants
As I do in every city, I took a city tour early in the morning, before anyone ever went out to the streets. During this tour, I came across to a church bell standing on the ground. I was able to learn his story by researching later.
This bell fell from the church tower in the bombing. While the city was being rebuilt, the pieces were collected and reunited where the bell first fell and a war memorial was created. You can see the joins today, but unfortunately the church, to which the bell belonged to, no longer exists.
People of science and art from Warsaw
Warsaw is also the birthplace of some important people of science and art. Madam Curie, who we know as Nobel Prize winner for her radiation studies, was born in Warsaw under the name of Marie Skłodowska. Today, the house she was born is a museum and you can find her statue in the city.
Another one is the famous mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. You will see a statue in the square dedicated to him. Since he was the first scientist to describe the solar system, the statue is of course designed accordingly.
There is also the Copernicus Science Museum in Warsaw. Although I don’t like visiting museums, science museums have always attracted my attention. This also seemed quite fun, I didn’t have the time to visit though.
Opposite of the Copernicus square, is the church where the heart of Chopin is buried. Although he spent most of his life in France, he was born in Warsaw and his heart has always beaten for this city. He has bequeathed his sister to bury his heart in Warsaw before he died.
There is also a Chopin museum here but I think the more pleasant things are the Chopin benches you can see in many locations in the city. When you press the button on the corner of these interactive benches, a short Chopin song plays and offers a short, romantic dance with your beloved one J
Last word about Warsaw
In spite of all the suffering, Warsaw stood up again. You feel it deeply as you walk through its streets. When you think about all this; every step you take -you can take- in the streets of this city becomes more meaningful and more impressive. After my visit to Warsaw, I realized that it actually deserved to be visited. Don’t make the same mistake, be sure to include Warsaw on your list. Before you visit Warsaw, don’t forget to watch the famous film Pianist, then everything here will make more sense.
