Warsaw
Latest update October 2018
Within the past decade Warsaw has
transformed beyond recognition. From being a slightly grey Central European
capital, a vibrant centre has emerged with a flourishing cultural life at
all levels, and the citizens put great effort into transforming each quarter
and backyard into a living space for the locals.
Being the capital of one of the largest
European countries you may find practically anything in this agglomeration,
which consist of around 2 million people. The Vistula River runs through
Warsaw in a length of around 30 kilometres and the river bank has been
heavily developed for the past few years. It is a perfect place for long
rides on the bike, sunbathing on the
cosy sand beaches, or just to hang around on the many bars, restaurants and
recreational areas along the river bank.
You cannot help but being impressed, when
you find yourself in the city centre looking at the huge amount of sky
scrapers, that have been erected since 1989. Each of them is a
architectonical masterpiece, and if you take the lift to the top of Warsaw's
tallest building – the Palace of Culture and Science -
and take a look at the sky line, you
find out, that there is an idea behind the way the town has been put
together.
A huge part of central Warsaw has been
reconstructed after world war II. Right after the war the style in the
strict centre was based on a renaissance city, where the fronts have been
re-erected to resemble the former buildings. Specially the city hall square
(Rynek) and surroundings is fascinating in its consequence, and the area has
also been awarded a place on UNESCO's world heritage list. At the same time
the area surrounding the old town has been rebuilt in Josef Stalin's
favourite building style – real socialism, which may be seen as a
continuation of modernism Real socialism was meant to show, that the manual
worker and the people had taken the place of the kings. The most exquisite
example of this building style is the stretch from the Palace of Culture and
Science - Marszalkowska Street – Constitution Square (in Polish: Pałac
Kultury, ul Marszałkowska, Plac Konstytucji), which gives a great impression
with its powerful edifices flanked by statues of the working people and
representatives of science and technique.
In the side streets leading from
Marszalkowska Street one finds loads of pre-war buildings, of which some
have been renovated within the last few years, and these buildings give a
clear impression of why Warsaw before WWII was considered to be Paris of the
East.
The architecture and the numerous monuments
and statues is though also a strong indicator of the political winds that
have affected Warsaw and Poland throughout time. You may still find evidence
of the Russian period, which ended in 1917, whereas the monuments from the
Soviet dominance in the period
1945-1989 are clear and visible, while the sky scrapers in the city centre
are built after 1989 and point at the fight to become a part of the
capitalist system.
In the middle of all this one may indeed
also follow the battle about what view to apply on history. The nationalist
fraction in Poland has for a number of years been working persistently to
change the town, and important elements in this is the account of the Warsaw
Uprising in 1944 and the martyrdom tale of the plain crash in Smolensk i
2010, where 96 of the most important public leaders died in an
airport disaster in Russia.
Both these incidents are part of
underlining the Polish telling about a suffering and heroic people, that is
repeatedly becoming the victim of suffering and injustice. It is very like
the narrative about the sufferings of the Jewish people, which is actually
not that strange, as Poland until 1939 had a Jewish share of around 10% of
the total population, mainly concentrated in the eastern part of the
country, where the share in some regions reached more than 50%, and in
Warsaw itself the share was around 30%.
The national narrative has though been
strengthened within the past few years and a round tour in Warsaw may easily
become a pilgrimage from one church and memorial site to the other. In this
connection it is important to realize, that even though the Polish church
belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, it is also considered to be a national
Polish church. The narrative about the suffering Pole is obliterating the
Poles own historical consciousness as being an aggressive, oppressing and
expanding power – as we have been told that the Poles are the victims. The
tale of sufferings is seen everywhere, but please be aware, that there exist
several interpretations of history.
Fortunately Warsaw is must more than a tale
of sufferings.
No doubt Warsaw's Old Town is worth a
visit, but when that's over and done with, then continue into the actual
real town. Explore the small streets around Marszalkowska Street, where you
will find loads of bars and restaurants, or the Praga area, where they cater
for the locals at very reasonable prices, but tourists are of course
welcome.
Take a trip to Praga at the right side of
the river, also to look at the architecture. The area was by and large not
affected by the military operations 70 years ago and You will find the old
buildings in elegant despair as a witness to the past. But actually more and
more is being renovated and from being the slum of Warsaw art galleries,
gourmet restaurants and underground cafes appear in large numbers, situated
in old buildings, that are being renovated with respect for their history
and individuality.
Wherever You find yourself in Warsaw there
will be a large park just around the corner, and at the outskirts you will
find loads of forests with wild stand.
The atmosphere is hectic, the working
people and the students obviously have money and they enjoy to spend it,
meet up and have a good time with one another at jazz concerts and Facebook
arrangements. You may speak English practically everywhere, which is quite
an achievement in a city where no one mastered English language 20 years
ago.
In this guide I want to share my
impressions from Warsaw with You, impressions from the moderns and hectic
Warsaw as well as the historical part. And during our tour I also give a few
comments to the current political situation.
the flag of Warsaw