Warsaw, Poland: Peek to Polish Identity Part 1


The largest and the capital city of Poland, located along the Vistula River is considered one of the most historical European city. It became the capital of the union of Poland and Lithuania before the bond was dissolved during the Polish partition in the 18th century. Thereafter, Warsaw was under the shifting influence of the Prussians (Germans) and the Russians. From then on, these two countries have forever shaped the history of the country. To what extent these two countries have made a mark in Warsaw is interesting for tourists and visitors to see. This is the focus of this blog post. This is Part 1. Click here for Part 2.

1.        Złote Tarasy


This is a modern complex composed of commercial, office and entertainment buildings located nearby the central station. Interestingly, the mall has the first Hard Rock Café and Burger King in Poland.

2.        Palac Kultury i Nauki


This is formerly the Palace of Culture and Science, which is the tallest building in the Polish state. The palace was a gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation under Joseph Stalin, a reflection of the ties of the two countries during the Cold War. During the millennium celebration, a clock has been placed on one of its floors.

3.        Muzeum Techniki i Przemysłu NOT


The Museum of Technology has the largest collection of works dating from the pre-war era. The collection includes Polish art, motorcycles, radios, geodetic instruments and others.

4.        Emilii Plater


This is a square dedicated for the Polish countess and captain of the Polish Army during the Novermber Uprising against the Russian Empire. In this uprising, Poland lost a considerable area of its territory to the expanding Russian Empire in the 18th century.

5.        Muzeum Domków dla Lalek


The Palace of Culture and Science created this doll houses. Some of the doll houses are one hundred years old.

6.        Park Świętokrzyski


Park Holy Cross was built in the fifties. The park has the monument of a polish-jewish doctor, who was a pioneer action in the field of diagnosing educational activities.

7.        Teatr Lalka


This is called the theatre without barriers. The interior of the theater are without architectureal obstacles.

8.        Teatr Dramatyczny m. st. Warszawy. Scena


The Drama Theatre was formerly a theatre of the Polish army. This is today a municipal theatre in the Polish capital.

9.        Warszawa Śródmieście


This is an area surrounding a railway station. It was a built of the principle of the Spanish train solution, using a center platforms for arriving passengers and side platforms for departing passengers.

10.     Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie


The National Museum in Warsaw is one of the largest museums in Poland. During the Nazi invasion of Poland was damaged.

11.     Muzeum Wojska Polskiego


Polish Army Museum contains 250,000 military and historical exhibits. It also has iconographic archives, library, professional and specialized workshops.

12.     Skwer Bohdana Wodiczko


This is a square dedicated for a Polish conductor and music educator. This is located near the modernist building of the University of Music.

13.     Muzeum Fryderyka Chopina


This is a musuem devoted to Frederic Chopin. This facility has the world’s largest collection of manuscripts of a composer.

14.     Nicolaus Copernicus Monument


It is one of the Polish capital’s notable landmarks. It is the seat of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish mathematician and astronomer, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun at the center of the universe.

15.     Kościół Świętego Krzyża


The Holy Cross Church was destroyed during the Second World War. In 2002, Pope John Paul II raised the church to the rank of minor basilica.

16.     Palac Uruskich


This is the palace owned before by a marshal of the nobility of the Warsaw Province. It was burned during the Warsaw Uprising during the Second World War.

17.     Uniwersytet Warszawski


The University of Warsaw is the largest in Poland with specialties in humanities and natural sciences. It was founded after the Polish partition in the 17th century among the Prussians, Russians and the Austrians.

18.     Krakowskie Przedmieśchie


The Krakow suburb is the one of the most prestigious streets in the Polish capital. This is one of the oldest avenues that connects the Royal Castle in the 17th century.

19.     Kościół Wizytek


Church of the Visitation in Warsaw is dedicated to the St. Joseph Immaculate Virgin Mother. It belongs to the parish of the Holy Cross.

20.     Skwer ks. Jana Twardowskiego


The Monument of Polish Roman Catholic priest and poet is located on the square. He was a priest who participated in the Warsaw Uprising in the Second World War.

21.     Pałac Prezydencki


The Presidential Palace is the elegant latest version of the original building in the 16th century. It was before under the private property of several aristocratic families. It became the seat of the Polish Congress during the Russian occupation after the Polish partitions. It served the nations’ German occupiers during the Second World War.

22.     Pałac Potockich


The Potocki palace is the residence of one of the most influential and powerful families in Poland. It was rented by the Embassy of Sweden and the United States of America, and burnt down by the Germans in the Second World War.

23.     Kościół seminaryjny w Warszawie


The Church Seminary was built in Baroque period, but the façade is classical. This church is founded in the 18th century. It was luckily not destroyed during the Second World War.

24.     Skwer Adama Mickiewicza


This is a square dedicated to the national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He was active to struggle for independence after Russian occupation of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

25.     Skwer HC Hoovera


This is a square dedicated for the 31st president of the United States of America, who visited Poland after the First World War. During the visit, he witnessed thousands of Polish children to pay the US president homage, Hoover gave aid to Polish citizens during the world war.


Warsaw is quite unique in its sense, because the city has unique identity shaped by foreign influences. Due to its strategic location, it was invaded by Swedes, Prussians, French, Germans and Russians. That part of history is interesting, but painful for the Polish people. That pain and struggle will always remain in memory, and will continue to attract tourists like me to visit and keep coming back.

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