Warsaw: Rising Above the Past
Warsaw: a beautiful place lovingly restoredWarsaw was largely destroyed during the Second World War, meaning that visitors in search of medieval charm have flocked instead to Krakow. However, Poland's capital city should not be overlooked, as it has countless charms of its own. The beautiful Centrum district has been lovingly restored, creating an atmospheric, beautiful area crammed full of interesting shops and tempting restaurants. The Castle Square in the old town is particularly impressive, with the red-walled Zamek Królewski (Royal Castle) home to an interesting museum of Polish history. Warsaw's Communist history can be remembered at the Palace of Culture and Science, a building offered to the city by Stalin. It is also worth looking out for the former headquarters of the Polish Communist Party, a building which, ironically enough, became the Stock Exchange after the fall of Communism.
Warsaw's tragic history during the Second World War has been commemorated at the Warsaw Rising Museum, a fascinating and deeply moving museum dedicated to the memories of those who died during this time. In the city, a fragment of the walls of the old Warsaw Ghetto, where many Jewish people lost their lives at the beginning of the Holocaust, can still be seen.
Warsaw is not lost in its own past: the city frequently lights up with vibrant festivals of music, theatre and art, making it a lively destination for travellers at all seasons of the year. March is an ideal time to travel from Manchester Airport to Warsaw to catch the annual Warsaw Carnival and Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival.
