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Old Town (Stare Miasto), Warsaw


Old Town, surrounded partially by medieval walls (Barbakan) is the oldest area in Warsaw.  It dates to the late 13th and early 14th Centuries. 


The Barbakan, a fortification that once encircled Warsaw,  was erected in 1540.





Jan Kilinski Monument
Once a shoemaker he became one of the commanders of the Kosciuszko uprising in 1794, conspirator against Russia, one of three foreign occupiers of Poland at the time.






 Stone Stairs (Kamienne schodki), built in the 15th century, once even Napoleon walked down these stairs during one of his visits to Warsaw.  Originally, the stairs were made of wood but were changed to stone in the 18th century, hence the name - stone stairs.






























Almost the entire Old Town was destroyed during WWII.  The Warsaw Uprising infuriated the Germans who then decided to completely level the city.  85% of Warsaw was destroyed.
After the war, the Old Town was painstakingly restored, down to the tiniest detail.  Oskar Sosnowski, and architectural historian had a prophetic dream back in 1930's in which he saw Poland completely devastated.  Following that he made his mission to involve his students in careful measuring and drawing of the Old Town.  It is due to those drawings that the Old Town was totally recreated. 
 




The Market Square was once a busy marketplace until the beginning of the 20th Century.  It is now a wonderful square filled with outdoor restaurants, open-air galleries and souvenir stalls. 


The Old Town gets very busy during the weekend, with locals as well as tourists strolling,  eating ice cream, waffles with whipped cream, taking photos or simply enjoying this beautiful place. 




I love to come here every time  I am in Warsaw. 










 The Warsaw Mermaid - a symbol of the city since the middle ages.





The White tower on the right side is worth visiting.  This is a great place to get a stunning panorama of the old city.  There are about 150 stairs to the top and the entrance fee is about $2.  The view is really spectacular, especially in the later afternoon or after the rain when the colors of the buildings really pop!





The Royal Castle, served as a residency of the Polish monarchs.  It was built after 1596 when King Zygmunt III Vasa moved the capital from Cracow to Warsaw.

The Royal Castle was burned and looted by the Germans in 1939 and destroyed in 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising.  It was reconstructed in 1971-1988.



This is a really beautiful part of Warsaw.   I keep coming back here to marvel at the changes since I left Poland in the early 80's.  Although the Old Town was very pretty even back then, it does not compare to what it is now; a truly stunning, historical marvel and a great source of national pride.


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