Warsaw's
Old Town
The Old Town is a must! The historical Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Warsaw.
As you might already know, Warsaw was largely destroyed during the Second World War and gained thereafter the nickname of Phoenix City because of its reconstruction. The paintings of Bernardo Bellotto and architecture students’ drawings before the war, were used as sources in the reconstruction effort and as many as possible of the original bricks were reused. As you may guess there are more historical places and buildings to visit in the old town, these are:
Royal Castle in Old Town
1. Castle Square (plac Zamkowy) is the main square and it’s dominated by Zygmunt’s Column and as the name suggests, it’s the location of the Royal Castle (Polish: Zamek Królewski). This castle is one of Warsaw’s most recognizable landmarks, due to its iconic appearance and its long history. It served throughout the centuries as the official residence of the Polish monarchs. In 1980, the Royal Castle, together with the Old Town was registered as a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site and today it is listed as a national museum visited by over 500,000 people every year. Apparently the reconstruction of the castle was entirely covered by Polish citizens. The entry in the castle was free of charge on the Night of Museums, it is quite nice inside as well so you might give it a go.
Narrow street with view of St. Martin’s Church.
2. Bell Tower (Taras Widokowy). While you’re on this square, I’d highly recommend climbing up the bell tower, it’s very cheap, but well worth it, you get a great view of the Castle Square. It’s even better than the view from PKiN, imho.
Bell Tower in Old Town
3. The Old Town Market Place (Polish: Rynek Starego Miasta) is the center and oldest part of the Old Town. The current buildings were reconstructed between 1948–1953, to look as they did in the 17th century, in the center there is a bronze sculpture of the Warsaw Mermaid, by Konstanty Hegel, in winter it’s surrounded by an ice rink.
Palace of Culture and Sience in Winter
Iluminated like a Chritmas Tree
4. Presidential Palace is the official residence of the Polish head of state and president.
Bell Tower in Old Town
5. Barbican is between the Old and New Town, and it’s in a form of a semicircular fortified outpost. One of few remaining relics of the complex network of historic fortifications that once encircled Warsaw.
Palace of Culture and Sience in Winter
Iluminated like a Chritmas Tree
There is definitely a lot more to see in old town like Presidential Palace, Statue of Kopernikus and others, but these are my favorite spots. If you have enough time my advice is to walk from metro station Nowy Świat-Uniwersytet toward old-town on Nowy Świat street. This way you will not miss a single spot what is worth visiting.
Barbican
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I created this web page to share my photos mainly, but I will try also to say a few words about the experiences that helped create them and the memories related to these photos.
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