Winter in Warsaw

It was strange standing in Plac Zamkowy outside the Royal Castle and comparing the black-and-white photograph taken in 1945 with the present-day scene in front of us. The two images seemed almost incomparable.

In the photograph there are few, if any, buildings, just piles of rubble, testament to the destruction wrought on the city towards the end of the Second World War.

However, 60 years later, on a cold January day, a group of school children are waiting to enter the rebuilt Royal Castle, the restaurants and buildings surrounding the square still have their Christmas decorations outside, and people have stopped to chat to one another next to Zygmunt's column, each a testament to the spirit of regeneration and resistance found in the city and its populace.

Quick Tips:

Regeneration still seems to be happening in Warsaw if the number of cranes swinging round the skeletons of high-rise buildings on the outskirts of the city centre is anything to go by.

Yet, pop into Cafe Blikle, for instance, on Nowy Swiat, and you almost feel like you've stepped back in time to 19th-century cafe society. Or walk around the Rynek Starego Miasta, where the three-story merchant houses were also rebuilt after the Second World War to their original 17th- and 18th-century designs.

The Palace of Culture and Science is a monument to a different time. Built by the communist regime between 1952-55, it was a 'gift' to the Polish people from the Soviet Union and remains a controversial structure, as architecture is imposing and yet rather austere, the reminder to many of another occupation perhaps.

Imposing, but of a very different nature, could also be used to describe the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes and the Path of Remembrance in the Old Jewish Ghetto. Following the route round an area of less-than-inspiring Soviet-era architecture, there is inspiration in the courage of those who fought, and died, for freedom and their beliefs.

Time does, of course, make its mark on all cities, yet somehow I felt it more in Warsaw than I have in other places. It was almost as if it was more visible both in terms of what has happened to the city and what is happening. Warsaw feels like a city that is rushing forward, wanting to embrace its future. I hope it's a good one.

Best Way To Get Around:

It's easy and pleasant to walk round the Old Town and around the city walls. Indeed we walked everywhere, relying on the bus only to get to and from the Airport (No. 175).
The Royal Route, which runs from Plac Zamkowy through Krakowskie Przedmiescie and on to Nowy Swiat, will give your legs a good workout while taking you through some interesting areas of the city.

For those times when legs are weary or the weather is bad, the tram and bus system serves the Old Town and other areas very well; however, they do get busy, so if you are travelling in peak hours, you may have to wait or cram on.

There is also a metro line that is in the process of being extended, but I'm afraid we didn't use it.

We went to Pod Samsonem on our first night in Warsaw. It is an attractive restaurant with a rustic feel to it - decorative lamps and glass bottles on shelves, white walls with old-fashioned sepia prints, strings of garlic in the window.

The staff were friendly, the food good, it is in an ideal position on a street running between the Old Town Market Square and New Town Square and it seemed popular with both visitors and locals.


We had

Starters:-
Egg and Onion Salad Mix
Ham
Bread

Main Courses:-
Pork Loin Cheese and Rice
Three Types of Fish with Potatoes
Salad of cabbage, leek and onions

Drinks:_
2 beers and 1 espresso

Total costs (including tip):- 80 zloty (approx. £14.00/$27.00)

Café Blikle on Nowy Swiat is a wonderful, traditional cafe and provided a warm, comfortable - and comforting - respite from a freezing cold and snowy day.

The interior is smart with wood panelling, green walls, a big copper coffee pot and interesting curved lights. The atmosphere is a mixture of conversation and contemplation, a good place to catch up with friends, debate and discuss but also somewhere to catch up with oneself, sit idly and read or simply watch people come and go.

The fare on offer includes a selection of teas, coffees (including liqueur coffees such as Honey Coffee with Krupnik and Cream and Café Bourbon with rum and cream) and other drinks, hot meals, snacks and a delicious tempting array of pastries and cakes (Chocolate Torte, Sweet Custard Slice with Flaky Pastry) which will set your mouth watering. And after all the walking you will have been doing around Warsaw you need some sustenance So go on, treat yourself. You know you want to.

Prohibicja is ideally placed on Podwale not far from the Royal Castle and Old Town. In keeping with its name the restaurant has a mock up of a still above the bar downstairs and the white washed walls are pock marked with fake bullet holes! A suitably theatrical design for somewhere that is owned by four Polish actors.

The menus has both Polish and American influences - including dishes such as Spare Ribs with French Fries and Pike/Perch with Mashed Potatoes, Spinach and Caper Sauce - the food is simple but well cooked and tasty, the service excellent, friendly and efficient.

Although pretty quiet when we were there (it being a cold, snowy January evening) I would imagine it buzzes with atmosphere when a larger crowd is in. So gangsters grab your molls and head down for some hooch, but leave your violin cases at home.

A castle was originally built on the site of The Royal Castle – former home of the Polish Royal Family and seat of the Polish parliament – in the 14th Century. Over the next few centuries, and particularly after it became the residence of the king in 1596, it was remodelled and redecorated until it resembles the building we see today. Ah, but that is just one of the remarkable things about this building.

What we see today is not that building but a wonderful and faithful reconstruction of the castle, it having been almost entirely destroyed by the Nazi occupying forces in 1944. What is also remarkable is that the reconstruction was funded by public donation. The latter seems to me to be a testament to the spirit of Polish, and Warsaw, citizens. So that when I say that the building you can visit now is not the same as the one that stood there before its destruction that is not entirely true. The bricks and mortar may not all be the same, but the spirit of the place was never destroyed and still endures.

Inside the castle, many of the rooms have been renovated to 17th- and 18th-century designs. The Royal Apartments and Ballroom are particularly opulent. The Ballroom is decorated in gold and white, with a beautiful parquet floor and crystal/glass chandeliers. When it is dark and the lights from the latter are reflecting off the mirrors and windows, it must be a wonderful site. The Senate Chamber and Marble Room are also lavishly decorated and very impressive.

Many of the rooms contain paintings, including a number by the Polish artist Jan Matejko, on the theme of "The History of Civilisation in Poland." There is also a Canaletto Room exhibiting works by that artist, but, unfortunately, this was closed on our visit. There are also some beautiful tapestries in the Galley of Four Seasons. The third floor has a collection of Decorative Arts/Objects including some interesting glassware, china, and large leather trunks for travelling.

There is a lot to see in the castle, a lot of details to take in, and a lot to interest a visitor, so I would suggest leaving a good 2 hours to fully see everything. There are two separate routes taking in different sections of the castle, but when we visited, the routes seem to have been combined, and trying to follow the layout of both of them was a little confusing and led to a certain amount of backtracking. That is, however, a very small criticism of a highly impressive and, as I said before, remarkable building.

The National Museum in Warsaw is based in an imposing Modernist building and includes an impressive selection of medieval art, pre- and post-20th-century Polish arts, and works by foreign painters.

We were very interested in seeing the 19th-century Polish art collection, having been ‘introduced’ to some of the painters, for instance Jozef Chelmonski and Jan Matejko, by the display at the Cloth Hall Art Gallery in Krakow. The collection includes works in various different styles, including Romantic, Impressionist and Symbolist, that became popular during the 19th century. The historical works by Jan Metejko, including the wonderful, melancholic portrait “Stanczyk” – the Jester painted in 1862, were very striking.

The Medieval Art Galleries contain some extremely impressive and exquisitely carved alter pieces, statues, and pieta many from Polish churches that are no longer in existence. The scale, detail, and colour in the wood carving and painted decoration is quite extraordinary. As are the pietas and scenes of the crucifixion, which are quite disturbing in their portrayal of Jesus’ suffering.

Most exhibits are labelled in both Polish and English, and some paintings have two or three line explanations of the subject matter.

My one – minor – criticism is that the map/guide we were given was rather confusing, and it was hard to find our way around the galleries. However, I think a fuller guide may be available for purchase.

I would certainly recommend a visit to the National Museum. It is an interesting and extensive collection of paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts that embraces various styles and trends.

The district of Nalewki was home to Warsaw's large Jewish community before World War II.

In 1940 the Nazi occupying forces turned this district into the Jewish Ghetto. The inhabitants - hundreds and thousands of Jews from Warsaw and surrounding areas - were forced to live in appalling, over-crowded conditions. Over 100,000 died from starvation and disease and a further 300,000 were deported to extermination camps.

In early 1943 members of the Jewish Fighters Organisation and the ghetto rose up against the Nazi occupiers, planned less as a bid for physical freedom than to show that acts of independence, defiance and will are a freedom in themselves. The Ghetto Uprising was violently suppressed and the whole of the ghetto demolished.

Today at the centre of the former ghetto is the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, erected in 1948 as a tribute to those who fought and died in the ghetto. It is a very moving piece of sculpture and a sombre starting point to the Path of Remembrances – a walk through the former ghetto marked by 16 granite blocks commemorating those who lived and died in the ghetto and the extermination camps. Along the walk is the Bunker Monument marking the spot from were the rebellion was coordinator and the walk ends at the very moving Umschlagplatz Monument, at the site of the railway siding from where so many Jews were transported to their deaths.

The monuments are simple and very effecting, not only by reminding you of the suffering that occurred during that time but also of the spirit which allowed people to demonstrate their freedom even in the face of death.

Unfortunately, visiting Warsaw in January meant that the weather was not always conducive to wandering round the lovely parks that form part of the city. It wasn’t so much the snow – parks can look lovely with a covering of white – rather the cold and ice, which meant negotiating pathways became more ice-skating than walking.

However one park, close to our hotel, that we did make a number of visits to was the Saxon Gardens. The gardens were designed and laid out in the early 18th century and were, originally, the private gardens for the royal residence of Morsztyn Palace. In 1727, they became a public park and in the middle of the 19th Century they were re-designed.

At the eastern end of the park is Pi³sudaki Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Solider (please see separate tip). Inside the park are a Fountain and Watertower (designed by the architect Henryk Marconi), some pieces of 18th-century statuary, and a lake, frozen over and looking beautiful.

Since returning, I have seen a number of photographs showing the park looking wonderfully colourful with spring and summer flowers. Visiting in winter, we inevitably missed that colour, but what we did see was a picturesque scene of filigree tree branches covered in frost and ground swathed in snow. Lovely, quiet, and relaxing.

This very effecting statue of a small boy in a too-large helmet holding a rifle commemorates those children who lost their lives in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

For 63 days, Polish resistance forces fought to regain control of the city from Nazi occupiers. They were not successful, but the desire for freedom and the spirit they demonstrated is something that seems to remain close to the hearts of the Polish people.

The statue was designed by Polish sculpture Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz and erected in 1983. It can be found by the city walls on ul Podwale, a short walk from the Royal Castle or the Old Market Square.

The Tomb of the Unknown Solider stands in Pilsudaki Square under arches that are all that is left of the Saxon Palace colonnade, the rest of which was destroyed during World War II.

Thankfully the tomb escaped this destruction and it still stands as a monument to Polish soldiers who fought for their country. The tomb and eternal flame is guarded 24 hours a day by two soldiers.

Like similar monuments in other countries the tomb is a good place to think, reflect, give thanks and perhaps contemplate our own responsibilities to the world we live in and to the people, community, of that world.

The Old Town Market Square was, for many years, a centre of public life in Warsaw, the setting for fairs, festivities meetings and even some executions. Many of the houses were built or re-styled by wealthy merchants in the 17th century.

Like much of the Old Town the Market Square was almost destroyed during the Second World War, however, now re-built the colourful and ornate facades of its buildings can’t fail to charm visitors.

The square contains a number of restaurants and bars, visit in the day and – time of year and weather permitting – you’ll be able to browse craft stalls, listen to buskers or take a horse drawn carriage ride. Visit at night and the lights from the houses playing across the shadows of the sqaure create a wonderfully romantic atmosphere!

St. John’s Cathedral was originally built in the 14th Century and is Warsaw's oldest church. The last King of Poland, Stanislaw August Poniatowski was both crowned and buried here and the crypt is also the resting place for a number of political and public figures.

The cathedral, like much of Warsaw's Old Town, was destroyed during the latter stages of the 2nd World War. It was rebuilt with a gothic facade and the interior contains some beautiful side chapels, memorials and intricately carved choir stalls, copies of the ones commissioned by Jan III Sobieski in the 17th century. On an outer wall is a track from the radio-controlled tank that took part in the destruction of the cathedral during the Warsaw uprising.

When we visited the cathedral the organ was playing and there was a feeling of quiet reverence. It was very tranquil with a strong sense of peace, a place to sit, contemplate and let thoughts wash over you.