Warsaw, Poland's capital city, is alive with history. Almost completely rebuilt since WWII, Warsaw's citizens take pride in the history of their home.
Warsaw City Tours and Old Town
If you're in Warsaw and are intent on getting to the heart of its history, consider taking a tour of the city – either self-guided or with a tour group. Be sure to follow Warsaw's Royal Route from the Palace of Science and Culture (a gift from the Soviet Union) along Nowy Swiat and Krakowskie Przedmiescie street until you reach Old Town.
Castle Square, New Town Square, and most especially Old Town Square teem with tourists who all want to experience classic Warsaw with its palaces, Renaissance structures, and cultural references.
Warsaw Museums
The Warsaw History Museum, located on Old Town Square, is home to exhibitions that document Warsaw's history in archeological finds, scraps of fabric, early publications, and scale models. A movie that uses period footage describes the aftermath of Warsaw's destruction during WWII – when 85% of the city was destroyed – and the determination of citizens to rebuild their city.
Also be sure to visit the Royal Castle, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum, and the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising.
Warsaw Monuments and Landmarks
Warsaw's history can also be found in the city's landmarks. The mermaid statue in Old Town Square is a symbol of a city, and you may find other references to mermaids in Warsaw's nooks and crannies. While you can't enter its doors, the Presidential Palace has long played a part in Warsaw's – and Poland's – history. Other monuments and landmarks include a fragment of the ghetto wall in Warsaw's Jewish district, the Frederick Chopin Memorial in Lazienki Park, King Zygmunt's Column in Castle Square, and the former headquarters of the Polish Communist Party.
Warsaw's rich history is not limited the above suggestions, and any history buff or serious traveler should take along a detailed guidebook in order to gain the most from viewing relics of Warsaw's history. Most of what you see in Warsaw, including the ancient Barbican, has been lovingly reconstructed. Rebuilt and original structures serve as hotels, shops, restaurants, museums, and apartments. Knowing this, you'll be able to look at the surviving artifacts from Warsaw's past with deep respect, and you will view its tenacious, determined residents with admiration. After all, the elderly men and women you see passing you by on the street may have very well lived through those traumatic times, and they, too, are a part of Warsaw's history.
Kerry Kubilius - A graduate of Ohio State University, Kerry has a BA in Russian and a BA in History of Art with a focus on Eastern European art. She also ...
