Warsaw

I’ve had two wonderful co-workers who have acted as my tour guides during my weekend in Warsaw.  It’s been so nice to have someone who knows so much about the city and the history.  Also – they can speak Polish!  It has been years since the last time I was alone in a non-English speaking city and I forgot how disorienting it can be!  But most people in Poland speak at least a little bit of English and I’m able to get along ok. 

Here are some views of the Old Town in Warsaw.  Warsaw was almost completely ruined during World War II (as in, 85% was bombed or burned).  Everything in my pictures was rebuilt from old pictures to look like it did before.  It is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

 

This is the Royal Castle that sits in the Old Town.  It was the residence and center of Polish government for many centuries.  After the initial German invasion of Poland a large portion of the Castle burned.  It was then blown up with dynamite after the Warsaw Uprising (more on that later) at the special request of Hitler.  The Nazis attempted to destroy all the significant cultural landmarks in Warsaw.  The reconstruction took place in the 1970s. 

Some other landmarks in Warsaw – St. Anne’s Cathedral, Sigismund’s Column (a former Polish king) and statue of Pope John Paul II, who was Polish. 

This is the interior of the church that Pope John Paul is in front of in the above picture.  I couldn't find the name of it yet, but it was nearly deserted inside except for a couple of people praying.  I got this beautiful picture of an older Polish woman praying. 

 

 

This is the Palace of Culture and Science.  It is the tallest building in Warsaw and was built as a gift to the Polish people from the Soviet Union.  Today it is houses a couple of theaters and a museum.  It is controversial as some people view it as a lingering symbol of the Communist era, while some consider it part of Warsaw's modern cityscape.