About Warsaw

The origins of the city date back to the 13th-14th century. The name is derived, probably, from the name of the landowner – Warsza from the Rawa family. The oldest original settlements on the area of present-day Warsaw were Bródno (10thc., Jazdów (12th c.), Kamion, Solec and Służew.

In 1413, owing to Janusz I, Warsaw gained city rights and became the capital of the Mazovian Duchy – the administrative centre was moved from Czersk.

In 1526 Warsaw became part of the Kingdom of Poland.

In 1546 Queen Bona came to live in Warsaw following the death of her husband Sigismund the Old.

In 1596 the capital of Poland was moved from Cracow to Warsaw by King Sigismund III Vasa.

The 17th century Warsaw was a large administrative and cultural centre with more than ten thousand residents.

In 1644 the Sigismund Column was erected. The monument commemorating King Sigismund III, which stands in the Castle Square, has since been one of the Warsaw’s landmarks.

Years 1655 – 1660 brought three waves of Swedish occupation, the so-called ‘Swedish Deluge’. The reign of Stanislaus Augustus in the 18th century was the period of rapid development with new buildings and institutions – Royal Łazienki (Bath) Palace, National Theatre, Corps of Cadets.

1788 – 1792 saw the sessions of the Great Sejm, whose aim was reforming the country.

In 1791 the Constitution of 3 May was passed – it was the first in Poland and second in the world (after the United Nations) modern constitution laying the foundations for the country’s organisation. It introduced the principle of equal status of nobility and the burghers (townspeople) and brought peasants under state protection.

After the III Partition of Poland in 1795, Warsaw fell under Prussian occupation. Poles, and especially residents of Warsaw, had high hopes for independence of Poland connected with the Napoleonic wars – some of these came true in the years 1807-18015 when the Duchy of Warsaw operated.

After the fall of Napoleon and the Vienna Congress in 1815, Warsaw became the capital of the Congress Kingdom (Kingdom of Poland), which was dependent on the Russian tsars.

Despite lack of independence, the early 19th century was the time of rapid development. The Grand Theatre (Teatr Wielki) was built then, as well as the Staszic Palace, Aleje Jerozolimskie – one of the key Warsaw streets. In 1816 Warsaw University was set up.

In 1830 the November Uprising broke out and brought about defeat for the insurgents. After the fall of the Uprising, Russians built the Warsaw Citadel in which the occupant’s troops were stationed and prisoners kept. The Citadel became a symbol of oppression and control of the rebel city.

Despite the turbulences Warsaw continued to develop – one of the milestones of that development was the construction of the Warsaw-Vienna Rail link.

Year 1863 saw another attempt at regaining independence – the January Uprising. Unfortunately, it ended in defeat and further escalation of repressions. Constitution was abolished and martial law imposed. The new symbol of Russian rule was the orthodox church of St Alexander Nevski, erected in Saxon Square.

The turn of the century was again the period of development. The city became a centre of industry. 450 new factories with thousands of workplaces, new railway lines were built, water supply system, horse-drawn trams.

1905 brought a wave of strikes which were inspired by the so-called ‘Bloody Sunday’ in St Petersburg and whose aim was to improve the fate of workers. In 1908 the Poniatowski Bridge was opened and the first high-rise building completed (Cedergern Tower).

Russians left Warsaw in 1915 due to the bad situation on the WWI front. In August 1915 Germans began the occupation of the city. In 1916 the decision was made to expand the city limits. Despite the hard times academic institutions flourished – Warsaw University Warsaw Polytechnic, Warsaw School of Economics and Academy of Agriculture.

On 8 November 1918 German authorities started evacuation from Warsaw. Two days later, Józef Piłsudski arrived and took over military control. When Poland regained independence Warsaw became the capital of Poland.

The next threat to Warsaw came during the Polish-Soviet war and the invasion of Soviet army in 1920. After the victorious Battle of Warsaw, the frontiers of II Republic of Poland were finally established. In 1922 the first president of independent Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz was assassinated. 1926 saw a coup by Józef Piłsudski, who introduced then authoritarian rule.

The 1920s were another period of development, especially of infrastructure and residential areas. In the 1930 the development accelerated, owing to the skillful management of Warsaw’s president Stefan Starzyński – new schools, houses, parks, streets, plans of urban expansion.

That development was dramatically brought to a halt with the outbreak of WWII in September 1939. Warsaw yielded to intensive attacks and heavy bombings on 28 September. On 1 October the German army seized the city.

On 27 December Germans carried the first mass execution of Polish citizens.

In 1940 the Jewish ghetto was established. A year later it had 400 thousand residents. Only in the period between July and September 1942 over 300 thousand of them were transported to the Treblinka camp in an attempt to wipe out the whole ghetto. At that time the Ghetto Uprising broke out – the last heroic effort of Warsaw Jews, ending in the total destruction.

On 1 August 1944 the Warsaw Uprising began. It fell after 63 days resulting in the unprecedented wave of destruction – 85% of buildings were demolished. In January 1945 Warsaw was taken over by the Red Army with the Polish People’s Army (Ludowe Wojsko Polskie).

New communist authorities moved to Warsaw from Lublin.

The National Fund for the Rebuilding of Warsaw was set up (Narodowy Fundusz Odbudowy Stolicy) and the step-by-step reconstruction of the City was carried out. Unfortunately, the prevalent style of the rebuilding was ‘real socialism’. In the 1950s the Old Town was reconstructed and entered in the list of UNESCO World Heritage (1980). In 1955 the building of the Palace of Culture and Science – ‘the gift of the Soviet nation to the Polish nation’ (and the symbol of Soviet domination in this part of Europe) was completed.

On 13 December 1981, the communist authorities introduced martial law in order to stifle social unrest and the budding democratic movement. In 1989 the Round Table talks brought about changes and laid foundations for the first partially free Election.

Symbols

Yellow and red flag
Coat of arms of Warsaw – a mermaid on a red background. The woman with a fish tail holds a sword in the raised right hand and a shield in the left. Above her, there is a royal crown.

Main historical monuments

Royal Castle
Sigismund’s Column
Arch-cathedral basilica of St John the Baptist
Old Town Market
St Anne Church
Presidential Palace
Basilica of the Holy Cross
St Alexander Church
Łazienki Palace and Park
Belvedere
Krasiński Palace
PAST
Palace of Culture and Science
Wilanów Palace and Park
Citadel
Lindley Water Filters (Filtering Station)
The Basilica of Archangel Michael and Saint Florian

Warsaw is divided into 18 administrative units (districts): Bemowo, Białołęka, Bielany, Mokotów, Ochota, Praga-Południe, Praga-Północ, Rembertów, Śródmieście, Targówek, Ursus, Ursynów, Wawer, Wesoła, Wilanów, Włochy, Wola, Żoliborz. It has over 1.7m residents.

Warsaw has many venues connected with culture and arts: numerous cinemas, theatres, museums, art. Galleries, centres for cultural education and entertainment, etc.

Every year in Warsaw over 50 major regular events are held. The themes include sports, music, culture, film, science, education and broadly defined entertainment.

Warsaw has 7 scenic overlooks, the most notable being the roof of Warsaw University Library, viewing terrace of the palace of Culture and Science, the belfry tower of St Anne’s Church.

Warsaw is a green city with 57 parks; the most famous are: Ogród Krasińskich (Krasiński Garden), Łazienki Park, Sady Żoliborskie, Ujazdowski Park, Rydz-Śmigły Park and Wilanów Park.

For those wishing to eat out or just meet friends over a beer, there are many restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs, catering to all tastes and specializing in the cuisine of many nations.

Public transport is well developed – with the only underground system in Poland (2 lines), 27 tram lines, 280 bus lines, 4 SKM lines (Rapid Urban Rail), 4 WKD lines (Warsaw Commuter Rail) and 8 lines of Mazovian Rail (Koleje Mazowieckie).

In 2012 Warsaw authorities launched the Veturilo self-service bicycle rental system. The bikes can be rented during 9 months in the year, there are ca 3000 of them and 202 rental stations. The total length of bicycle paths and lanes in Warsaw is around 200 km.

For those coming by air, Warsaw has two airports: Chopin Airports in Okęcie and Modlin Airport. Warsaw is a major media hub with head offices of the biggest publishers, radio and TV stations.