TRAVEL GUIDE

Warsaw Old Town

The Heart of the Capitol

Warsaw Old Town was almost completely destroyed during World War 2 and later rebuilt with great attention to details. Colourful tenements and narrow streets create the unique atmosphere of this historic district. In the summer, the Old Town is full of café gardens and becomes a stage for cultural festivals. In wintertime, the Old Town and the Royal Route are decorated with beautiful Christmas illuminations. In the Old Town Market Square, the biggest Christmas Market in Warsaw takes place and the Castle Square is where the enormous Christmas Tree is lit up.

There are many historic sights that you need to visit in the Old Town. In the Castle Square you can see the Sigismund’s Column which was built to commemorate one of our kings Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 moved Poland’s capital from Krakow to Warsaw. The column was erected in 1644 on the request of Sigismund’s son and the king at that time – Władysław IV Vasa. It is the oldest and the highest secular monument of the capital – it is 22 metres high. Looking down, the king holds a sword and a cross in his right hand, symbolizing bravery and willingness to fight the evil. During the Warsaw Uprising, the statue of the king fell to the ground, but amazingly, it was not seriously damaged, loosing only the sword. The monument was re-erected in 1949. Sigismund’s Column is a very characteristic landmark where locals in Warsaw often arrange to meet. Standing on the terrace of the castle square above the WZ route, you can admire the Castle Square in all its glory, but also the Copper-Roof Palace, Mariensztat (historic neighbourhood at the foothill of the Old Town), the Vistula river and the Praga district with the National Stadium. 

Walking from the castle square towards the Old Town Market Place along the Swietojanska street, you will see the gothic St. John’s Archcathedral. It was originally built in the 14th century. Historical events took place in these walls, for example ceremonies held before the opening of the parliament, the coronation of the last king of Poland Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1764, and the swearing-in of the May 3rd Constitution. Important national celebrations still take place here nowadays. Also, many important figures are buried in the cathedral’s crypt, for example: Henryk Sienkiewicz (great Polish writer), Gabriel Narutowicz (the first president of Poland) and the king Stanisław August Poniatowski. The cathedral was the scene of heavy fightings during the Warsaw Uprising. It was blown up by the Nazis and restored after the war in pseudo-gothic style.

In the Old Town Market Place – the oldest part of the Polish capital, the Warsaw Mermaid has been standing since 1855.

The Warsaw Barbican is another must-see in the Warsaw Old Town. This massive rotund dating back to the 16th century was a part of defensive walls that once encircles and protected the city. Nowadays it is considered a gate between the Old Town and the New Town. The street behind the city walls is Podwale. Here, you will see the moving Little Insurgent Monument. Unveiled in 1983, it commemorates the youngest insurgents of the Warsaw Uprising.

Łazienki Królewskie

The happiest place in Warsaw

The Łazienki Królewskie Museum, known as „the happiest place in Warsaw,” is the summer residence of King Stanisław August. It consists of neoclassical monuments and historical gardens.

Here, you can relax by observing nature and deepen your knowledge of Enlightenment ideas by visiting such gems of European architecture as:

  • The Palace on the Island, one of the most valuable Polish monuments in the neoclassical style, featuring the Royal Picture Gallery;
  • The Old Orangery, housing the Royal Sculpture Gallery with plaster copies of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world, the Polish Sculpture Gallery with works by nearly all the most outstanding Polish artists from the early 19th to mid-20th century, and the Royal Theatre, one of the few original 18th-century court theaters in Europe;
  • The Myślewicki Palace, preserving original polychromes by Jan Bogumił Plersch, including views of Rome and Venice;
  • The White House (open in the summer season), a unique 18th-century residential architectural monument in Poland, with the Royal Print Gallery and the first grotesques in Poland;
  • The Water Tower (open in the summer season), the most striking building that can be linked to the technical solutions of modern engineers; and the picturesque Amphitheatre.

In the gardens of Łazienki Królewskie, visitors can walk along paths and alleys among trees, shrubs, and flowers. Guests have access to the Royal Garden, the Romantic Garden, and the Modernist Garden. In the summer, a lounging area near the New Orangery is also available.

Visitors to Łazienki Królewskie also engage with European culture through numerous events. Among the most well-known are the summer concerts at the Chopin Monument, held every Sunday from mid-May to the end of September. These recitals have a long tradition in Łazienki and are very popular with both tourists and Warsaw residents.

As of January 1, 2018, the Museum of Hunting and Horsemanship became part of the Łazienki Królewskie Museum. Both institutions were merged into a single cultural institution called the Łazienki Królewskie Museum in Warsaw, with a branch of the Museum of Hunting and Horsemanship.

Fantastic Bridge

The pedestrian and cyclist bridge

The pedestrian and cyclist bridge in Warsaw is one of the longest pedestrian and cyclist crossings in the world. The bridge, connecting the banks of the Vistula River at the level of Karowa and Stefan Okrzei streets, is 452 meters long. It is one of the longest pedestrian and cyclist crossings in the world, being 127 meters longer than the London Millennium Bridge, one of the most famous structures of this type in the world. The width of the structure is 6.9 meters at its narrowest point, and it expands to 16.3 meters over the river. The crossing features two „rest areas” with wooden seating. Lighting for the structure is provided by light sources installed in the railings. The architectural design of the pedestrian and cyclist bridge was selected in an international competition announced at the end of 2016 and decided in September 2017. Among the 40 submissions, the winning design was a joint project by Schüßler-Plan and the Polish branch of the German design office and DKFS Architects from London. The competition jury appreciated the project’s extremely simple and elegant form. Construction began in March 2022.

Pedestrians will be able to walk across it in 6 minutes, while cyclists will be able to ride across in 2 minutes. On the left bank, before the last pier, the crossing widens and splits into two ramps that extend over the boulevards at the level of the Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie sidewalk.

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