Just before hitting the WZ tunnel that rumbles below the Old Town, visitors can’t fail but see a giant cast-iron statue of Nike: as in the Greek Goddess of Victory, not the shoe company. Standing with sword raised aloft this noble structure is actually officially named ‘Monument to the Heroes of Warsaw 1939-1945’, and remembers the thousands of locals who fought against - and died under - Nazi rule. The statue made its debut in 1964, originally standing on Plac Teatralny. This was before there was any official memorial to the Warsaw Uprising, and as such Nike became the favoured assembly point for Polish veterans, as well as student agitators in later years. In 1997 Plac Teatralny underwent a well-deserved facelift and the fearsome Nike found herself forklifted over to her current spot where she stands with a watchful eye over the cars and buses that gasp to-and-fro.