The streets of Warsaw were lit up by the sun, it became hot and I had to urgently take off my jacket. This is the kind of weather I like!
I continue to talk about my walk around Warsaw, the capital of Poland. You can see the first post here. Lets go!
I walked through the streets of Warsaw without any special plans, where my eyes look, enjoying the aroma of flowering trees and flowers in pots, staring around. There was still a lot of time before the train to my next destination and I wanted to see as much as possible. One day in Warsaw... not so much, but not so little either.
Mały Powstaniec (the Little Insurrectionist) — monument to the young rebel, dedicated to the children who participated in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Designed by Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz, this collective image touches the heart.
Warsaw barbican (semicircular fortified outpost) and the fortress wall. Originally erected in the middle of the 16th century, during the defense of Warsaw in 1939 and the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, the barbican was almost completely destroyed and rebuilt in 1952-1954. In its reconstruction, bricks of the demolished historical buildings of the towns of Nysa and Wroclaw were used.
The barbican and fortress walls are a favorite place for artists who sell their paintings here.
Cute houses and my favorite tiled roofs.
Statue of Wars and Sawa, the founders of Warsaw, according to one of the legends.
Warsaw is quite a green city, there are many acacia trees and the smell of their flowers is a delight.
Couples in love are walking along the streets of the Old Town.
Some buildings are decorated with mosaics.
A nice sculpture — a man sitting on a stone and having a rest, but this is just my guess.
Contrast of old and new.
St. Kazimierz Church on the New Town Market Square. The church was originally the Kotowski Palace, and in 1688 the residence was bought by Queen Maria Kazimira Sobieska and transformed into a Benedictine church-monastery. Before the WW2, its walls were multicolored.
On the square near the church there is a fountain, chosen by local birds.
My walking is good: buildings, street tables of cafes with flowers are pleasing to the eye.
Cafe signs are also interesting :)
Although I am no longer in the Old Town, there are still many beautiful historical buildings around — this part of the city is also quite old. Perhaps that is why on the streets you can often find pretty carts in which tourists are carried. The role of cabbies is often performed by women.
As in many cities in Europe, various symbols hang above the doors of shops and craft shops.
People walk around, go about their business, someone enjoys ice cream. I want it too!
Monument to the Warsaw Uprising (Pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego) in 1944, led by the Polish resistance army (Armia Krajowa). All the underground organizations operating in the city at that time took part in the uprising. It was during the street fighting of this uprising and after it that about 60% of the housing stock in Warsaw was destroyed.
Although the Uprising did not achieve its military and political goals, at the same time it became for the Poles a symbol of courage and resolve in the struggle for independence. The monument is located on Krasinskaya Square, near the building of the Supreme Court of Poland.
There are tourists on the streets trying to figure out where they are. And I had a tourist navigator on my belt all the time, it was a few years ago :) Now in cities I use only applications with maps on my phone.
Polish money — zloty, very nice, bright banknotes.
Evangelical Reformed Parish — the church in the Gothic style at Aleja Solidarności.
I love trams, so I decided to take the tram a few stops, especially since I was on my way to my next destination.
The best panorama of Warsaw opens from the observation deck of the Palace of Culture and Science. This is the second tallest building in Warsaw and Poland — 237 meters high. Some Poles dislike this Stalinist skyscraper, built in Warsaw in 1955 by the Soviet Union. In their opinion, it disfigures the city center and reminds of Soviet influence on the Polish People's Republic.
In any case, I really wanted to look at Warsaw from above, and for this purpose you can’t imagine a better place. So next time I will show you a lot of views from above, although not from a drone, as well as the end of my walk around Warsaw :)
Posts about the trip:
- Poland Stories. Warsaw. Old Town and a Religious Celebration
- Poland Stories. Warsaw. Walking Around the City, Old and New
- Poland Stories. Warsaw. Views from Above and the End of the Walk
Camera: OLYMPUS E-M5
It's better to watch photos in high resolution (links are right on the pictures).
You can also see my photos in my blog LJ and in my profile on NatGeo. You can read a short interview with me here.