Just a few short years ago, Warsaw wouldn’t have topped too many travellers’ “must visit” lists. The city – Poland’s capital – has, however, had a remarkable habit of resurrecting itself over the centuries and is now enjoying something of a resurgent period, the latest development in its long and often difficult history.
Today, the starting point for most tourists is the Market Place in the Old Town (Stare Miasto), complete with its charming facades and stunning period detail that encapsulates hundreds of years of Polish heritage and prosperity. If walls could talk, you’d imagine this square would have plenty to say. It’s all the more staggering then to realise that the entire Old Town was, in fact, reconstructed following the Second World War. It’s as if Disney had decided to add Poland to its Epcot Centre World Showcase Pavilion.
The Nazis wrought the most vicious retribution on the city following the Warsaw Rising in 1944, a time when the Poles tried to retake the city after five years of occupation. The resistance failed and an incensed Hitler ordered Warsaw be razed to the ground.
Somehow, his retreating forces found time to do just that. They destroyed 90 percent of the city and left it little more than a smoking pile of rubble. At the end of the war, the city’s fortunes hardly took a turn for the better, with the whole of Poland coming under the control of Russia and Stalin, its fearsome master.
The Soviet approach to reconstruction was orderly, utilitarian, low-cost and very much in the Le Corbusier school of architectural thought – concrete and brick. And plenty of it. Even though rebuilding in the style of the “golden” imperial period of 18th century Poland was hardly in line with Communist thinking, the authorities finally consented to this very plan – largely in an effort to stem civic unrest.
As well as the actual buildings, most architectural records had also been lost in the war. This left the planners forced to turn to any reference that could provide a guide for the reconstruction – old photographs, student architectural drawings and, most unusually of all, the works of Bernardo Bellotto (aka Canaletto), a late 18th century townscape painter. Eschewing true Epcot style, the restoration was completed using as many of the original materials that could be salvaged from the ruins, as well as through the use of traditional craftsmanship wherever possible.
Does a visitor taking endless photographs of the Old Town need to know this story to appreciate the aesthetic? Does it actually matter? Well, yes. It does. In order to properly enjoy Warsaw, you need to factor in the story of its remarkable re-birth. It will also help you appreciate the Poles’ redoubtable sense of history and the identity that they refused to relinquish, despite the terrible odds.
It will also give you a better understanding as to just why this modern day capital sports three distinct personas – the baroque and neo-classical resurrection, Soviet brutalism and, latterly, the ultra-modern Warsaw that is emerging as the locals embrace the 21st century
Let’s get back to the not-so-old Old Square first, though, and take in a coffee. Maybe a Zywiec beer or a glass of Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka. How better to decide just how to spend the few days at your disposal?
Firstly – and most obviously – this is an area made for walking. The square itself, the network of narrow streets set off it, the Barbican fortification and city walls that look exactly like they did five hundred years ago, are best seen on foot. After that, take a stroll down to overlook the River Vistula that flows through the city.
The Varsovians – as the natives are known – love statues almost as much as they seem to love the stories that accompany each one. If you want to play monument bingo during your trip, look out for The Mermaid of Warsaw (Syrenka). Armed with a sword and shield, she’s ever ready to defend the city. Perhaps that’s why she’s represented on the city arms.
Then there’s the Jan Kilinski Monument, a proud commemoration of the cobbler who led a peasants revolt against the Russian occupiers in 1794. The “fighting-the-Russian” theme continues with the statue of Josef Pilsudski, the statesman who led Poland to independence in 1918 and then saw off the Bolsheviks at the gates of Warsaw two years later.
Take time out to appreciate King Sigismund’s column, an enduring symbol of the capital, while the Copernicus monument honours the Pole who first theorised that the Sun – rather than the Earth – as the centre of the Universe. As both the Russians and the Nazis had a tendency to remove nationalist monuments, it’s only in recent years that statuary has made a collective reappearance. The fact that they survived at all is yet another small miracle.
Another remarkable landmark comes in the form of the Royal Palace in Castle Square. Unlike the adjacent Old Town, which was reconstructed in the 1950s, the Soviets were at first reluctant to allow the former official residence of generations of Polish monarchs to be rebuilt, finally relenting in the early 1970s.
There was one condition, though. The Poles had to pay for it themselves. As with the Old Town, you would be hard-pressed to spot the fact that is has only been recently constructed. As you immerse yourself in the Great Assembly Hall, the royal apartments and chambers, the chapel and the impressive From Destruction to Reconstruction basement exhibition, it scarcely seems to really matter. In fact, it only adds to the wonder of the achievement.
Maintaining the regal mood, turn left on exiting the Palace and head for the Krakowskie Przedmiescie – the Royal Route – one of the best known and prestigious streets in the capital. Here you’ll find a succession of historic palaces, churches and manor houses as well as the Presidential Palace and the University of Warsaw. Pre-war Warsaw was often referred to as the Paris of the East and this was its Champs Elysée.
By now you’ll have recognised that the dominant building in the city centre has very little to do with the 18th century or with earlier, classical reproductions. It’s actually the imposing communist-era Palace of Culture and Science and it towers over every building in the city. Commissioned in 1955 by Stalin as a “gift from the Soviet people,” it’s 231-metre high and can be seen from 30 kilometres away. It remains a symbol of the Soviet domination, intently disliked by most locals.
Far more popular and beloved by the locals is one Frederyk Chopin, the celebrated composer who lived and studied music in the city during his formative years. Chopin is celebrated throughout Warsaw. There’s a museum in his honour and international piano competition held in his name every five years. There’s also an urn supposedly containing his heart which resides in the basilica of the Church of the Holy Cross. The most intriguing way to remember the composer, though, is to track down the fifteen benches dotted around the city that commemorate episodes from his life. They also have extracts from his works. Musical chairs. Quite literally.
All this walking and fresh air will inevitably see you work up an appetite, which is just as well given that Polish food is renowned for its heartiness. Try zurek soup made with white kielbasa (smoked sausage) and vegetables, topped with a hard-boiled egg, or pierogi dumplings. These can be either boiled or fried and come with a choice of sweet or savoury fillings.
If that doesn’t suffice on the carbohydrates front, look out for the pyzy – small, boiled balls made from grated potatoes and flour, again coming with a variety of fillings. Remember, too, to leave room for dessert – the locals are mad on paczki deep-fried donuts, while wuzetka (cocoa) and zygmuntowka (almond) cakes are the signature sweets of the city.
Many of these “comfort” foods can be found in and around the Old Town, the site of any number of authentic Polish restaurants. Some, notably U Fukiera and Przy Zamku, go in for slightly more modern takes on traditional dishes. If you’re on a budget and want a taste of Soviet–era Warsaw, then check out a milk bar (Bar Mleczny) – hangovers from the Communist period when meals were heavily subsidised. It’s still the cheapest way to eat out in Warsaw. Don’t expect silver service, though. Having said that, even with Poland’s economy on the up, your zlotys will go a long way here in comparison to other European capitals.
In terms of post-lunch diversions, Warsaw boasts many and varied museums and these figure significantly in the itineraries of most visitors itineraries. It’s definitely worth investing in the official sightseeing pass for reduced entry to museums and a other key sites.
Particularly worth seeking out is the Copernicus Science Centre, renowned for its hands-on and immersive approach to learning. Then there’s the considerably smaller Maria Sklodowska-Curie Museum, a repository of all things related to the discovery of Radium and Polonium. It’s Warsaw’s more recent history, though, that strikes a more sombre note in many travellers’ hearts. There are three key sites that best bring home the degradations suffered by the locals.
The first of these is the Warsaw Uprising Museum, an institution that records the tragic account of the city’s failed bid to throw off the Nazi yoke in 1944. This harrowing story is sombrely told through an array of interactive displays, video and exhibits. Don’t miss the 3-D City Of Ruins, an animated aerial flight over the all-but destroyed Warsaw at the end of the war. The Jewish Ghetto and its earlier uprising in 1943, isn’t so well represented, but the old ghetto is clearly marked.
Here you should really make the effort to visit the Footbridge of Memory, a light installation that recreates the structure that once connected the large and small ghettos. This should be followed by a tour of the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews. This tells the story of the Jews in Poland. Once home to more than 3.3 million of them, now just a handful remain. Pulling few punches, the exhibits explain how this happened.
As a travel destination, Warsaw may well not be party-central – but if that’s what you want stay in the suburb of Praga on the other side of the Vistula. For the discerning traveller, one with an eye for history and culture, there are few more absorbing European cities. While its relatively recent past was certainly painful, this is a city on the up – something its new Daniel Liebeskind designed 52-story Zlota 44 residential skyscraper testifies to only too clearly. While it may still be a few metres shorter than the nearby Palace of Culture, for once it will give the Varsovians something to look up to that’s not reminder of the city’s darker days.