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Features
- Magda Gessler
- What the locals like
- Jan III Sobieski
- A new kind of loo
- Polish Army Day
- Disaster in Smolensk
- Three random things to help you navigate Warsaw
- The Korczak Orphanage
- Euro 2012 in Warsaw
- Yitzhok Farbarovitsh
- The story of Syrenka - The Symbol of Warsaw
- Hot beer
- Ask your Concierge
- Złota 44
- May Day
- Warsaw In Your Pocket in iPaper
- Warsaw - Did you know? (1)
- Rising '44
- Skyscrapers
- Easter in Poland
More features:
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Disaster in Smolensk
Poland hit world headlines on April 10th, 2010, when a plane carrying President Lech Kaczyński, his wife and ninety four other passengers crashed by the Russian city of Smolensk killing all on board.... -
A new kind of loo
Plenty of upgrades and new additions have come to Warsaw in anticipation of Euro 2012 – check out that shiny new stadium across the river – but one of the most interesting improvements can be found at Warsaw Central Station.... -
Polish Army Day
If you’re fortunate enough to be in Poland on August 15 you will get to experience a somber national holiday: Polish Army Day.... -
Jan III Sobieski
Jan Sobieski was born in Olesko near Lwow (now Ukrainian Lviv) in 1629. His father was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman who ensured young Jan and his brother received a first class education and they both went on to study at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow before Jan travelled abroad.... -
The Korczak Orphanage
In a city that does not want for tragic, heroic stories, the tale of Janusz Korczak and the orphanage of which he became director in 1912 is one of those that warrants telling time and again.... -
Euro 2012 in Warsaw
The decision to make Poland a co-host of Euro 2012 was greeted with surprise both inside and outside Poland as well as by jubilation that Michel Platini and his UEFA committee had the foresight and courage to bring such a successful tournament here.... -
Hot beer
There’s a number of ways to survive the colder months in Poland, and we’ve tried them all, from dressing up like Eskimos to sitting at home in our pants.... -
May Day
The lifespan of this guide sees Poland hit National Holiday Season, and aside from Easter visitors should take note of two more dates for the diary.... -
Magda Gessler
The United Kingdom has Gordon Ramsay, the United States has Anthony Bourdain, and Poland has Magda Gessler.... -
Warsaw - Did you know? (1)
Cult British band Joy Division were originally called Warsaw before they hit the big time. They only changed their name after concerns that concert posters might be misinterpreted as adverts selling Poland’s capital to British holidaymakers.... -
Yitzhok Farbarovitsh
Heard of Yitzhok Farbarovitsh? We’d imagine not, in which case stop what you’re doing and give a moment to one of modern Poland’s more interesting and quirky characters.... -
Złota 44
Born in Lodz in 1946, Daniel Libeskind has gone on to become one of the world’s best known architects, with projects like the Imperial War Museum in Manchester and the Jewish Museum in Berlin to his credit....
What the locals like
During June 2011 Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper invited 21 journalism students from City University London to visit the country’s largest cities to assess whether they would be ready to host the upcoming Euro 2012 football tournament. Dubbed Misja 21 (Mission 21), the project also elicited input from local residents, including their votes on the top five likes and dislikes in their own cities. Here’s what the locals think of Warsaw's best and worst features
Top 5 likes:
1. Roof Gardens on the Warsaw University Library building, ul. Dobra 56/66 (C-2) and Copernicus Science Centre, ul. Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20 (G-2).
An understandable tie! The Warsaw University Library rooftop gardens offer an entire hectare of bridges, streams, pathways, sculptures and plant life while the brand new Copernicus Science Centre is a hands-on chance to experience learning in a €93 million structure devoted to science found close by.
2. Łazienki Park, ul. Agrykoli 1 (G-4)
3. Royal Route and Old Town (B-1/2)
4. Old Praga with Ząbkowska street (H-1)
Warsaw’s hip if slightly rundown district across the Vistula is being revitalized by artists and hipsters beginning with Ząbkowska street, where you’ll find some of the best (and strangest) pubs and clubs.
5. Saska Kępa and Skaryszewski Park (H-2)
The district of Saska Kępa can best be described as the exact opposite of Praga: rich, upperclass and packed with the city’s intelligentsia. The district’s Skaryszewski Park features 55 hectares of waterfalls, lakes and flowerbeds to wander through.
Top 5 dislikes:
1. Central Train station and tunnels under it (A/B-4)
Warszawa Centralna is a bit of a mess as it goes through upgrades in anticipation of Euro 2012, but let’s be honest: it used to be a lot worse.
2. Building area of Świątynia Opatrzności Bożej (ul. Klimczaka, Wilanów)
Considered one of the most important Catholic structures in Poland, the National Temple of Divine Providence (as it’s known in English) is currently a skeletal pile of concrete under endless construction in Wilanow – an understandable impetus for dislike.
3. Shopping malls and chain restaurants
Generic chains and imposing malls seem to be consistently popular and universally despised.
4. Plac Defilad, on the ul. Marszalkowska side (B-4)
This square by the Palace of Culture used to be the site of propaganda parades during communism, while today it just looks like a sad slab of ignored concrete.
5. National Stadium and surrounding area, Al. Księcia Poniatowskiego 1 (H-2)
Sure, the construction was a mess (and ran over deadline) but the stadium is finally complete. The area around it? That’s still a work in progress, which clearly rubs Warsaw residents the wrong way.
Top 5 likes:
1. Roof Gardens on the Warsaw University Library building, ul. Dobra 56/66 (C-2) and Copernicus Science Centre, ul. Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20 (G-2).
An understandable tie! The Warsaw University Library rooftop gardens offer an entire hectare of bridges, streams, pathways, sculptures and plant life while the brand new Copernicus Science Centre is a hands-on chance to experience learning in a €93 million structure devoted to science found close by.
2. Łazienki Park, ul. Agrykoli 1 (G-4)
3. Royal Route and Old Town (B-1/2)
4. Old Praga with Ząbkowska street (H-1)
Warsaw’s hip if slightly rundown district across the Vistula is being revitalized by artists and hipsters beginning with Ząbkowska street, where you’ll find some of the best (and strangest) pubs and clubs.
5. Saska Kępa and Skaryszewski Park (H-2)
The district of Saska Kępa can best be described as the exact opposite of Praga: rich, upperclass and packed with the city’s intelligentsia. The district’s Skaryszewski Park features 55 hectares of waterfalls, lakes and flowerbeds to wander through.
Top 5 dislikes:
1. Central Train station and tunnels under it (A/B-4)
Warszawa Centralna is a bit of a mess as it goes through upgrades in anticipation of Euro 2012, but let’s be honest: it used to be a lot worse.
2. Building area of Świątynia Opatrzności Bożej (ul. Klimczaka, Wilanów)
Considered one of the most important Catholic structures in Poland, the National Temple of Divine Providence (as it’s known in English) is currently a skeletal pile of concrete under endless construction in Wilanow – an understandable impetus for dislike.
3. Shopping malls and chain restaurants
Generic chains and imposing malls seem to be consistently popular and universally despised.
4. Plac Defilad, on the ul. Marszalkowska side (B-4)
This square by the Palace of Culture used to be the site of propaganda parades during communism, while today it just looks like a sad slab of ignored concrete.
5. National Stadium and surrounding area, Al. Księcia Poniatowskiego 1 (H-2)
Sure, the construction was a mess (and ran over deadline) but the stadium is finally complete. The area around it? That’s still a work in progress, which clearly rubs Warsaw residents the wrong way.