Warsaw is waiting to be discovered
Poles created a city of contrasts from the rubble of Second World War
Warsaw, the capital of Poland, doesn’t appear at the top of many European travellers’ wish lists. But that’s just one reason you may want to visit. With evocative sights, an epic history, and low prices, Warsaw is a diamond in the rough.
If you’re looking for Old World quaintness, head for Kraków. If you’re tickled by spires and domes, get to Prague. But if you want to experience a truly 21st-century city, Warsaw’s your place. Huge, famous, and important, Warsaw is the country’s cosmopolitan business hub.
Warsaw has good reason to be a city of the future: the past hasn’t been very kind. Since becoming Poland’s capital in 1596, Warsaw has seen wave after wave of foreign rulers and invasions — especially during the last hundred years.
The city’s darkest days came during the Nazi occupation of the Second World War. First, its Jewish residents were forced into a tiny ghetto. They rose up — and were slaughtered. Then, its Polish residents rose up — and were slaughtered. In retaliation, Hitler ordered the blockby-block destruction of the city.
While the Nazis destroyed the city, the approaching Soviets sat across the river, watching and waiting. As the smoke cleared and the Nazis retreated, the Red Army marched in and claimed the pile of rubble that was once Warsaw. It would be another 45 years before the Soviets would leave and the Poles could freely govern their capital and their country.
After the war they almost gave up on re-creating old Warsaw, but ultimately the Poles decided to rebuild, constructing a city of contrasts, with painstakingly restored medieval lanes, pedestrian-friendly parks, and sleek skyscrapers.
Today’s Warsaw is safer, wealthier, and happier than ever (they even dodged the Great Recession). You’ll encounter stylishly dressed locals, sophisticated shopping boulevards, and thoughtful museums covering the Second World War, Jewish history, hometown composer Frédéric Chopin, and Polish art.
The city has two historic districts: the 13th-century Old Town and the 15th-century New Town. Both are nearly complete 20thcentury reconstructions, right down to the higgledy-piggledy charm of the colourful buildings.
The countless restaurants in the historic district provide a good introduction to Polish cuisine — and the national drink, vodka. Many traditional dishes — herring, cold cuts, pickles, steak tartare — pair naturally with chilled vodka.
For me, the pleasure of Warsaw is just connecting with its bigcity people, who are as warm and charming as small-town folk.
Remnants of Warsaw’s earlier magnificence show up in the huge, idyllic Łazienki Park. It’s sprinkled with Neoclassical buildings, peacocks, and young Poles in love.
A monument to Chopin, Poland’s great Romantic era composer and favourite son, graces the park’s rose garden. Even though Chopin left Warsaw for Paris, his final wish was to have his heart brought back to his native Poland. And so it was, after his death in 1849. It now lies buried in a pillar in Warsaw’s Holy Cross Church (the rest of him is interred at Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery).
The resilience of Poland’s culture and the warmth of its people inspire me. Thankfully, these are good times in Poland, a nation with a rich past and an exciting future.