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Old Town (Starego Miasta)
The busy Old Town provides the historic focal point of the city, having been rebuilt in the
original 17th and 18th century style following the almost total destruction of the city
during the war. The picturesque Old Market Square (Rynek) is at the centre, surrounded by
restored buildings and colourful three-story merchant houses with Baroque and Renaissance
facades, lively open-air restaurants, art stalls and the Historical Museum of Warsaw. Around
the two old central water pumps, the atmosphere is a constant buzz of activity with buskers,
painters and musicians providing entertainment for the milling crowds, while around the
fringes the clattering of hooves signals the arrival of a another traditional horse-drawn
carriage. Leading from the square is a network of cobbled streets and alleyways that contain
beautiful Gothic churches and former palaces of the aristocracy. The impressive Royal Castle
was once the home of the Polish Kings and is now a museum displaying tapestries, period
furniture, portraits and other decorative collections. The narrow streets also lead to the
ramparts and watchtowers of the medieval walls surrounding the old city. |
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Historical Museum of Warsaw
Try and make time for this impressive 60-room museum which documents the entire history of Warsaw with maps, historic documents, photos and paintings all displayed in period interiors. For many, the highlight is the film 'Warsaw Will Not Forget', which documents the devastating destruction of the city by the Nazis and the painstaking reconstruction by its citizens. The film is screened every weekday at noon in English.
Address: Rynek Starego Miasta (Old Town Square) 28-42
E-mail: mhw@mhw.pl
Website: www.mhw.pl
Telephone: (0)22 635 1625
Opening time: Tuesday and Thursday 11am to 6pm, Wednesday and Friday 10am to 3.30pm, Saturday and Sunday 10.30am to 4.30pm. Closed Mondays
Admission: 6 zl normal rate, 3 zl concession rate. Free on Sundays. English guide 20 zl |
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The Royal Way
Like Madrid's Gran Via or Paris's Champs Elysees, Warsaw has its own grand avenue - the Krakowskie Przedmiescie - not as easily pronounceable as its continental cousins, to be sure, but with all the sweep of a historic thoroughfare.This fine promenade was most memorably captured by Bernardo Bellotto in his paintings for Stanislas Poniatowski, the last King of Poland, and these can still be enjoyed today in the Royal Castle.
Address: Krakowski Prezedmieœcie becoming Nowy Œwiat
Website: www.wilanow-palac.art.pl
Opening time: Wilanów Palace: daily except Tuesdays 9am to 4pm. From 15 May to 18 September the palace is open until 6pm on Wednesdays and until 7pm on Sundays. The park is open daily 9am until dusk
Admission: Palace: 25zl, which includes a guide. Park: 4.50zl (15zl including a guide) |
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