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Warsaw Overview
Warsaws origins date back to the settlements of Brodno & Jazdow in the 9th and 12th centuries In 1281 after the latter was destroyed in a battle a new settlement was established nearby in a fishing area called Warszowa. In 1413 it became the capital of Masovia and part of the Polish Crown in 1526. In 1596 after the unification of Poland and Lithuania it became Polands capital. In 1795 it was annexed to Prussia before being captured by Napoleon in 1807. In 1815, a Vienna treaty declared Warsaw as the capital of a new Constituitional Polish state but ruled by Russia. Russia often ignored the constitutional and in 1830, 1861 and 1863 Warsaw led unsuccessful uprisings against its rulers. In 1918 at the end of WW1 Poland regained its independence with Warsaw as its capital.
In 1920 the city became embroiled in Polish Bolshevik War and Battle of Warsaw was fought on the eastern edge of the city. Russia's Red Army was defeated. When WW2 broke out on September 1st 1939 Poland was first invaded by the Nazis in the west and sixteen days later by the Soviets in the east. For six weeks Warsaw was under siege and the battleground between these two powers before falling to the Nazis. 15% of the citys buildings were destroyed with and the city fell to the Nazis SS who herded most of the city's Jews (about 30% of the population) into the Warsaw Ghetto. More.
Taxis Scams
At Warsaw airport overcharging by non-regulated taxi drivers is a problem. Use on;y use official taxis, with the name and telephone number of the taxi company on the door and the roof next to the occupation light. Inside the taxis on the window is a rate card.
Illegal Taxis often decieve by displaying a crest but with none of the above details.
Sightseeing & Attractions in Warsaw
By the end of WW2 most of Warsaw had been obliterated, consequently it lacks the enchantment of other capitals like Prague, even though the post war enigmatic Soviet Regime endeavoured to carefully rebuild The Old Town whilst simultaneously building modern blocks that sprawled out chaotically in The New Town and Warsaw suburbs. The post war legacy remains only now the main street in the financial sector of the city is called Solidarity Avenue - neither would have been an entity two decades ago.
There are several memorials to the atrocities that Warsaw witnessed during its occupation by the Nazis. The Warsaw Ghetto in the Muranow area where half a million Jews were interned en route for the Death Camps was razed to the ground in 1945. However part of the original wall around the ghetto remains in Sienna St , as does the Nozyk Synagogue which was commandeered by the Nazis as a warehouse. Visitors today can walk along The Path Of Remembrance which stretches from Zamenhofa St to 'The Monument Of The Ghetto Hero'. The Institute Of Jewish History also documents the horrors of the ghetto and the Holocaust generally. Recently opened is The Museum of The Warsaw Uprising which commerates the Jewish struggle in 1943 to escape from the ghetto. Other places to visit include
The Royal Castle In The Old Town which has amongst its treaures 25 paintings of Bernardo Bellotto. The National Museum also has a rich collection of Polish Paintings which were hidden in 1939 and date back to the nineteenth century. More Contemporary Art can be found at Zamek Ujastowski. The Warsaw Motor Museum includes vintage cars once owned by Elvis Presley and the Museum Of Caricatures is equally unique.
Warsaw Public Transport
Most bus and tram routes operate between 5 a.m. and 11p.m. during the week. Bus and tram tickets should be purchased before boarding from kiosks and ticket machines at the bus stops. 24 hour tickets cost 7.20PLN, a 3 day ticket cost 12PLN or a weekly ticket cost 24PLN.
Warsaw has one metro line which links the city centre with southern Warsaw. The service operates between 5am and 00.30. Train intervals are every 3-4 minutes during peak hours and 4-6 minutes at other times.
Intercity and surban trains also serve Warsaw and are very cheap. When using a taxi you should use a cab with a radio. Higher prices apply between 10pm & 8am
Restaurants in Warsaw
Warsaw is a very cosmoplitian city especially in its cuisine and in parts Italian restaurants are never far way. For good quality Polish food 'Figaro' (Zieleniecka 2) is fairly well known. Also reported to be worth a visit is 'The Rabarbar' (Wierzbona 9/11) which has good French food and live Jazz bands. 'Le Cedre' (Solidarnosci 61) is renowned for excellent Lebanesese food. The informal 'Jasna Bar' (Jasna 24) offers food, drink music and occasionally special events. For more information on Warsaw please see the national tourist board or the Official Tourist Boards - links as above.
| Accommodation In Warsaw Hotels & Apartments etc |
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1943 Warsaw Uprising
About 300,000 Jews were deported from Warsaw to their deaths at the Treblinka concentration camp in the summer of 1942 When news of their fate reached to those remaining in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw a group of mainly young people formed 'Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa, which translated means Jewish Fighting Organization . Z.O.B., campaigned for Jewish people to refuse to go to board the trains to Treblinka. In January 1943, Warsaw ghetto fighters shot at Nazis German troops rounding up more Jews deportation The troops eventually retreated
On April 19, 1943, the Warsaw ghetto uprising began after Nazis troops again tried to enter the ghetto to deport those that remained. Over seven hundred and fifty fighters fought the troops . The battle lasted until on May 16, 1943 when they were defeated. 56,000 Jews were captured 7,000 were shot instantly - the remainder were sent to the concentration camps.
Crime and Personal Safety & Security In Warsaw
Violent crime is rare but be aware of street crime, pick pockets and avoid walking alone late at night in badly lit streets as there have been isolated incidents of muggings in areas popular with touristss
As credit card fraud is on the increase do not let your cards out of sight. Some tourists are approached by criminals posing as plain cloth police officers who ask for credit card detail as proof of ID.
Thieves hang about ATMs, and on public transport especially at main railway stations.Many thefts occur when you board or leave a train. There is also a high risk of theft on sleeper trains. Do not accept food or drinks from strangers as they may be spiked in order to rob you.
At Warsaw airport unregulated taxis overcharge tourist. Regulated taxis have a phone number and crest on the door and occupied / vavant light on the cab roof.
| Warsaw Night Life - Nightclubs Music Dance |
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Weather Forecast And Average Monthly Temperatures In Warsaw Poland
| Ave Sun hours | Temperature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Record | ||||
| Min | Max | Min | Max | ||
| Jan | 2 |
-6 |
0 |
-29 |
11 |
| Feb | 2 |
-6 |
0 |
-27 |
13 |
| Mar | 3 |
-2 |
6 |
-14 |
18 |
| Apr | 5 |
3 |
12 |
-6 |
27 |
| May | 8 |
9 |
20 |
-3 |
34 |
| Jun | 8 |
12 |
23 |
3 |
34 |
| Jul | 7 |
15 |
24 |
7 |
35 |
| Aug | 7 |
14 |
23 |
7 |
33 |
| Sep | 5 |
10 |
19 |
1 |
31 |
| Oct | 4 |
5 |
13 |
-9 |
26 |
| Nov | 2 |
1 |
6 |
-12 |
17 |
| Dec | 1 |
-3 |
2 |
-26 |
13 |
| Very Cold | Cold | Mild |
|---|---|---|
Warm |
Very Warm |
Hot |
Warsaw International Airport Information
Warsaw Airport Code - WAW
Airport information Tel +48 (22) 650 42 20
Latest Flight Information Warsaw International Airport
Airport Facilities
Terminal 1 has all necessary facilities a bank, post office, several shops and 2 restaurants.It has 2 execurive business lounges - one is open 24 hours. The new Etiuda Terminal (EU destinations only) has only a newsagents and one coffee bar. Another large terminal is being built.
Travel From Warsaw Airport To Central / Downtown Warsaw 24 Hours A Day
Warsaw Airport is 11 Klm from the city centre. By day MZA buses 175 & 188 operate between these two points. 175 line operates 4:58am - 10:40pm Mon-Fri, 5:01am - 10:35pm Sat & Sun 188 line operates 4:50am - 11:20pm Mon-Fri, 4:44am - 11:20pm Sat & Sun Fare 2.40 Pln.
Night Service 611 operates 11:39pm - 04:39am between the airport and Warszawa Centralna railway station. Fare 4.80. Tickets can be purchased from newstands or the driver - the latter is more expensive
Low Cost Airlines Flying To & From Warsaw:
Other airlines flying to & from Warsaw Poland
- Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerosvit, Air Baltic, Air France, Air Polonia, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Belavia, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Cyprus Airways, El Al, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Maersk Air, Malev, LOT Polish Airlines, Pulkovo Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, SN Brussels Airlines, Swiss, TAROM Romanian, Tunis Air, Turkish Airlinesm
Rebuilt From Rubble
At daybreak on September 1st 1939 the Luftwaffe attacked Warsaw. During the subsequent Nazi occupation, under Hitlers orders, about 85 percent of the city was destroyed and over 700,000 died. At the Historical Museum of the City of Warsaw (Old Town Market Square) you can see a film showing the extent of that wanton devastation. At the end of World War 2 the Polish people and friends from abroad pains takingly rebuilt the monuments churches and historic buildings destroyed in the war. They were then and still remain the heart and soul of Warsaw
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Post War Warsaw
In July and August 1944 as the Red Army once again attacked the German Army in Poland the indigenious population of Warsaw tried to sieze control of the city from the Nazis whilst the Red Army captured the right bank of Warsaw. The leaders of the uprising had wrongly thought that they would be aided by the advancing Red Army but the Soviet forces held back. Consequently the uprising against the Nazis failed.
The Nazis then razed the city to the ground. In January 1945 the Red Army finalled crossed the River Vistula and entered the left-bank of Warsaw. 85% of the city had been destroyed including the Royal Castle and all of the Old Town with its many Baroque. buildings. The Soviet forces arrested most of the leaders of the 1944 uprising before either shooting them or deporting them to Siberia.
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