Warsaw – The Polish Capital

With the collapse of the Soviet hegemony in the Eastern Europe two decades ago, Poland was able to shed its drab and grim image. Its capital, Warsaw, has now emerged as a leading business and cultural hub. Its prosperity and the openness of its society have enabled the city to draw tourists from far and wide.

Warsaw is always generously endowed with natural beauty and  archaeological sites of historical importance. Now it also boasts of elegant dining and sophisticated nightlife opportunities. Its dazzling shops are crowded with people with disposable income  and fashion-conscious aficionados frequenting its boutiques. Patrons of arts and culture throng its many art galleries, museums, theaters and concert halls. Tourists now love to come to this vibrant city and have fun.

Four factors determine Warsaw’s character, starting from its imperial days. Then came the devastation of the Second World War, followed by four decades of communist rule. Now is the ongoing process of transforming Warsaw in to a modern, developed and progressive city. Like most other old cities of the world here also magnificent historical castles, palaces and churches coexist with post-War modern buildings, office blocks and residential estates – functional but not pleasant.

Besides majestic palaces, the Polish capital abounds with lush green parks. Watch the city spread out before your eyes from the massive Palace of Culture and Science which, incidentally, is Josef Stalin’s gift to the city. Walk through the quaint cobblestone narrow streets and explore the Royal Castle and reconstructed ornate places of the Old Town.

Let us start from the 13th century Old Town which was cruelly devastated and most of the buildings destroyed during the World War II. It has now been elegantly rebuilt with great care, a massive but important task that the earlier communist regimes couldn’t do. The sad memories of loss of life and virtual extermination of the Jewish population strengthened the determination of the citizens to make their beloved city beautiful. The Old Town is now on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Site.

Warsaw has to have a New Town to qualify the other town to be called Old. The New Town here is in fact 500 years old and it came into existence to take some burden off its older version. A Town Hall and market square were first constructed and people built their houses to live. A number of churches and monasteries then came up for them to worship their god. The New Town sparkled with elegance and considered most gracious. Townhouses built in neo-classical style enhanced the city’s aristocratic ambience. It merged with the Old Town in 1791. Explore the New Town which is still charming and elegant.

The Centrum is a downtown district that tourists find interesting because many shops, restaurants, finest hotels, bars, opera houses and theaters are located here. The neighboring Mokotow district gives a mixed feeling where elegant pre-War mansions are seen to exist cheek by jowl with Soviet-type drab apartment blocks.

Warsaw’s elegance and old world charm get enhanced by the occasional presence of post-War and post-Soviet realities that hopefully will eventually disappear.