Warsaw
In the ranking of Lonely Planet tour guide Warsaw was mentioned as one of ten top cities in the world worth visiting in 2009. Even without such recommendation it's popular among Polish and foreign tourists.
Officially, Warsaw became the capital city at the end of the 16th century when after the fire of Wawel the King Zygmunt III Waza began the transfer of royal residence from Kraków to developed Warsaw Castle. The greatest drama in the city's history was II World War. As a result of the outbreak of uprising in the Jewish Ghetto and the Warsaw Uprising the Nazis sentenced the city to death. The inhabitants were expelled, taken to concentration camps and the Nazis began the demolition. Approx. 650,000 people were killed and over 80% of city development destroyed. The restoration started immediately after the war. In 1980 the development of Warsaw Old Town was placed in the List of World Cultural Heritage UNESCO as the example of faithful reconstruction with preservation of original part of development.
Located on both banks of the Vistula River, Warsaw is nowadays Poland's biggest city. You can visit it from constantly growing network of bicycle road or admire during picturesque cruise by boat on the Queen of Polish rivers. Tourists who value time choose subway lining northern and southern parts of the city. Another solution is to visit the city by tourist bus which runs the route of the most important Warsaw attractions - monuments, churches and gardens.
The most popular is Royal Road, i.e. route lining the Royal Castle with palaces in Łazienki and Wilanów. This is the most representative part of the city: With the Royal Castle, the nearby Column of Zygmunt,the market surrounded with tenements, Barbakan and the St. John Gothic Cathedral. Warsaw Old Town is full of attractions for children. The kids can here look for the legendary Mairmaid and Golden Duck. Among many temples, palaces and statues of the Road the Nicolaus Copernicus at the Krakowskie Przedmieście that should be mentioned, the two copies of which are status in Chicago and Montreal and the Holy Cross Basilica housing the urn with Frederick Chopin's heart.
The perl of the Road is Palace and Garden Complex in Łazienki Królewskie, one of the most beautiful in Europe. They own their present shape to the effort of the King Stanisław August Poniatowski. In the area of 80 ha there are e.g. classicistic Palace on Water, Great Orangery, Hunter's Palace and the statue of Frederic Chopin where you can listen to piano concerts (Rafał Blechacz - the winner of International Chopin Contest in 2005 played there). The end of the Royal Road is Palace in Wilanów, erected for the King Jan III Sobieski, one of the most precious monuments of the Polish Baroque. The palace's frame is bi-level garden linking the features of Baroque, romantic English-Chinese park and landscape English park in one harmonious part.Before the II World War, Warsaw used to be Europe's second and world's fourth centre of Jewish population. In November 1940 the Nazis founded a ghetto surrounded with over 3 metre high wall for 450,000 Warsaw and nearby Jews. Only 20,000 survived the liberation. Until today in Warsaw there are many premises commemorating the martyring of Poles and Jews during the II World War, among them the Statues of: Nieznanego Żołnierza, Małego Powstańca, Bohaterów Getta and museums: Prison Museum "Pawiak" Or Warsaw Uprising Museum. Opened in the 60. anniversary of the outbreaks of fights for Warsaw, the multimedia centre is one of the most popular museums in the capital city.
The oldest part of right-bank Warsaw is Praga. The district that survived the war damages is more and more often visited by tourists who found it the most atmospheric place in Warsaw - with many clubs, galleries and alternative theatres. It is also valued by artists who found their studies and ateliers there.
You should visit the monuments far away from main tourist routes - nostalgic Cemetery of Powiązki, where for the last 200 year the most outstanding Poles are buried and 19th century Citadel, one of the be
st preserved Polish defence architecture complexes.The beautiful panorama of Warsaw can be admired from the 30. floor of Pałac Kultury in Nauki, from the height of 114 m. Other places from which you can admire the city is the observation deck of the Poland's most modern Library of the Warsaw University. On its roof there is enormous garden with the surface of over 1 ha, one of the biggest roof gardens in Europe.
More and more popular are getting the shows in 3D IMAX cinema. The Warsaw peculiarity is "ice bar" with chairs, tools, walls, glasses made of ice. The bar's guests stay in the constant temperature of - 8 degrees Celsius, protected from cold by means of special suits.
