Warsaw - now and then
Warsaw - now and then. How would you feel if you got the opportunity to visit a city that offers history, modern city, old city, great parks and food at the same time? In this article we will try to inspire you for a next trip.
Our trip continued to a next goal after the northern part of Germany. We left Binz and Prora. "Wir fahren weiter nach Warschau!" That is how it sounded in the car early in the morning.
As an author and owner of this magazine, I have decided to write a reportage about visiting Warsaw, the capital of Poland. This was the first time for me and my family and visiting this epic city was a nice adventure.
Driving from Binz and Prora to Warsaw took around 7 hours. In Germany we let the smartphone app show and recommend us the best and the fastest way. The best direction was to drive towards Szczecin and afterward down towards Warsaw. First it sounded wrong because Szczecin is in the northern part of Poland but actually it appeared the best one because the highway was perfect and without any delays. The second one solution, driving towards Berlin would probably take more time because it normally is so that german highways can be overloaded especially close to the big cities.
Arriving in Warsaw
However we arrived to Poland and Warsaw. For me it was a special experience because we also drove close to the city called Poznan. This city is one of the three cities which I remember from 1992. It was the year when my father, brother and me took the train from Prag (Prague) to Szczecin via Wroclaw and Poznan. 33 years ago I was there, as a refugee in the train.
What was our first impression of Warsaw? Our first time in this big city, this metropolis, gave us positive vibes only. The hotel was in a new and fresh part of the business part of the city. Our view was great. Every day, thousands of people move around. They flow over the streets. Buses, cars and trams are driving around and everything looks just perfect.
We decided to walk and use the metro. The first afternoon we only walked around because our car trip was very long. Our first meal was in a nice restaurant in the central part of Warsaw. The food and service were great. How come that everything felt so good in this city?
One of the factors, maybe the most important factor this time was the fact that the city looked very fresh and clean. It looked very original and we could not recognize any track of negative or criminal behaviors on the streets. For us it looked fantastic, especially because Warsaw is a metropolis with 1.86 million residents and 3.27 million within a greater metropolitan area.
Wisła and the old city
Our second day we have spent being out during the whole day. We started with visiting the Vistula River (Or in Polish: Wisła) and the old part of the city. The first impression there was also great. Nice and hot summer weather. Somehow it looked like the Danube River in Belgrade, in Serbia.
The city parts are connected with huge bridges and train traffic. In this case we saw a train coming back towards the city center.
The river bank along the Vistula (Wisła) River is also decorated. And it is also possible to enjoy in the sun just like on some beach. This place is very good for running and biking, but also for relaxed walking.
However, the bridges look very stable and have good construction against floods. Probably fishing can be an extraordinary experience regardless if you fish from the river bank or from a boat.
We also visited the famous street in Warsaw called Nowy Świat (New World Street). That was a very pleasant part of the city. According to Wikipedia, until the 16th century, Nowy Świat was a main road leading to numerous aristocratic palaces and villages south of Warsaw. We have found several nice parts of the city, like Plac Zamkowy.
Straight forward on the image above, there is the famous part of the history of Warsaw. Wewnętrzny mur obronny, the defensive wall and a statue close to it.
Łazienki Park
Later one, we also have taken the bus to another part of the city. There, we found a huge park called Łazienki Park and it was a worth visiting it. According to Wikipedia it was designed in the 17th century by Tylman van Gameren, in the baroque style, for military commander Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski. It took the name Łazienki ("Baths") from a bathing pavilion that was located nearby.
Łazienki Park offers every visitor to see and feel how it was in 17th century. It is simply like a museum and it is perfectly decorated. The nature inside the park is a place that we could compare to bigger parks such as Central Park in New York City. Do you feel for reading a book in a shadow, below some tree? Then, this place is the right one for you.
Pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego
Before we go further on in the article we must say that we also visited Pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego, the Warsaw Uprising Monument. It is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
Pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego (Warsaw Uprising of 1944) was organized by the Polish resistance movement who fought for Poland's independence during World War II. We are happy because we could see this place among all other place in this city.
The Warsaw Ghetto
Looking at the history of Poland and its capital city, we have to mention the Warsaw Ghetto. What was that, who created it and why? Without digging that much in the history we can explain it as below.
As the author of this magazine, I simply was very curious and I had to try to find some reminding parts of the Warsaw Ghetto. It was pretty successful and I can show some photos from those places.
They do affect every human being who has an idea about what happened there. You can simply try to imagine how it looked like, if you really want that. Take a minute or two and look at those houses, windows and bricks. They still exist, but where are all the people? The emptiness says everything.
Standing in the front of the wall or some old building generates actually a feeling of a helpless and empty destiny of every living creature within the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto. What was on the other side? Why are we on this side, and they on the other one?
We have taken several images but we are not sure that all of them belong to the Warsaw Ghetto. However, we have seen how some houses and buildings still are a part of the city.
We have however tried to follow the areas marked as the Warsaw Ghetto on the map of the city and that is how we found those old buildings. We do apologize if some image is not a part the Ghetto.
And we have also found something more at Prosta 51 Street in Warsaw. It is the Monument to the Evacuation of Fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto. That one gives special vibes. For a moment, we can feel how strong will for living is. At the same time we can not forget what those people went through.
Shortly, according to Wikipedia, the Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the German authorities within the new General Government territory of occupied Poland.
Some last words
But we feel now that we want to give you some more from Warsaw. The images below show what we actually mean.
Royal Łazienki - The Royal Theatre and Old Orangery
Old buses outside of the National Museum of Technology in Warsaw
Konwent św. Jacka - Dominikanie na Freta
Pałac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science). You can find similar buildings in Moscow, in Russia according to our article Trans-Siberian Railway, Part I, Moscow.
Modern skyscraper
Modern skyscraper from the other side
Fabryka Norblina at Łucka Street (Probably from the period of the Warsaw Ghetto.)
Old house close to the Prosta 51 Street, probably a part of the Ghetto.
The city map where we can see the Warsaw Ghetto marked as darker, brown color.
So, dear readers. Hopefully this article will help you to get inspired and visit Warsaw. This metropolis is really worth visiting because you can get history, modern city, old city, great parks and food and much more in the same package. As the author of this magazine, I wish that you like this article and enjoy its content. The adventure, this trip, has shown that it is possible to see much in the period of two days. But you need to get an inspiration and feel for spending some time in another city.
Thank you Warsaw. Dziękuję Warszawo.
Back to the to previous page
® All Rights reserved Justfindit.se Magazine