Strolling the Royal Route
The Royal Route of Warsaw offers a unique walking tour along famous boulevards. While Warsaw’s history is rich in culture and diversity, the Royal Route is the perfect destination for holiday travellers coming to Warsaw from London Heathrow who prefer strolling the thoroughfares and soaking up the city’s history. The Royal Route in Warsaw begins in Castle Square, meanders along Krakowskie Przedmiescie and Nowy Swiat, ending approximately in Wilanow.
The boulevards sit alongside the Vistula River and, over the centuries, monasteries and the summer residences of well-off citizens rose to tower over the city and the river. The route along Krakowskie Przedmiescie teems with imposing churches and cathedrals as well as impressive palaces while the Nowy Swiat bustles with boutiques, quaint eateries, cafes, and summer theatres.
Some call Krakowskie Przedmiescie the Street of Churches. St. Anna’s Church is a testament to Gothic architecture although the murals are classic Baroque and the altars and frescos are rococo. The church is the repository of the relics of St. Ladyslaw of Gielnow, the patron saint of Warsaw. The second church is St. Joseph the Guardian’s Church, one of the few to survive the bombing raids of World War II. Here tourists can see the famed painting “The Visitation” by Tadeusz Kuntze-Konicz as well as the boat-shaped rococo pulpit and the ebony tabernacle.
However, others refer to Krakowskie Przedmiescie as the Street of Palaces. Once home to the richest and best-known Polish families, today the palaces serve as educational, historical and government institutions. Warsaw University encompasses the Uruski and Tyszkiewicz Palaces, the Fine Arts Academy was once the Czapski Palace while the Namiestnikowski Palace, with its Neo-Classical architecture, is the official home of the President of Poland.
