This will be the last travel trip blog for our 2006 trip to Poland. In this blog, we will visit Old Town in Warsaw. The area was so beautiful and quaint, it deserved it's own blog space in my opinion! Grab a beverage, relax and enjoy the photos!
Old Town is the oldest part of Warsaw. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. (See more UNESCO information here
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/30 .) It was established in the 13th century. You will find cafe's, restaurants, shops, medieval architecture and horse drawn carriages. It's a peaceful, beautiful area to stroll in and spend a quiet afternoon.
It was originally surrounded by an earthen wall and then prior to 1339 was fortified with brick city walls.
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| Part of the original brick city walls. |
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| Original city walls. |
These next pictures are of the Warsaw Barbican located near the Old Town. A Barbican is a semicircular fortress. What is left near Old Town is the original structure from 1540! Warsaw (Old Town) was originally completely surrounded by fortresses just like this. Amazing that this still stands!
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| Warsaw Barbican |
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| Warsaw Barbican entrance gate. |
Old Town begins here.....walking into The Castle Square (also called Plac Zamkowy).
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| Walking in to Old Town (straight ahead with yellow colored building). |
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| A closer view of the yellow building that begins Old Town. Look closely in the center open window. |
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| A mannequin dances to unheard music, inviting you in to Old Town and inviting you to discover all of it's treasures. |
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| Just entering Old Town at The Castle Square. Zygmunt's Column is in the center and the Royal Castle is on the right. St John's Cathedral is the tall building in the back. |
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| View from St Kazimierz dome. "New Town" Warsaw on left, Old Town on right. |
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| Corner where Old Town and New Town meet. |
Being "horse minded", of course I was drawn to the horse drawn carriages and taxis! I caught a few of them having lunch in the Old Town Castle Square.
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| Old Town Taxi Service! Yes, it's a double decker taxi! |
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| Lunch is over and they're ready for fares now! |
There are three main squares located inside Old Town. The first you normally come to, is Castle Square (also known as Plac Zamkowy), where most people enter Old Town from New Town. In the center of the square is Zygmunt's Column, which is surrounded by town houses. The architecture and decorations on these houses is amazing! Zygmunt's Column (also called Sigismund Statue) was built here in 1644 by King Wladyslaw IV to honor his father, Sigismund III Vasa. (Sigismund III Vasa was most known for moving the capital of Poland from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596.) Castle Square is nestled in between Old Town and the Royal Castle. Many sight-seeing tours originate from this square and the horse drawn carriages and horse taxis are located in this square also.
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| A sight seeing train that originates from Old Town Castle Square. |
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| The horse drawn carriages lined up in Old Town Castle Square. |
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| A working well in the Castle Square, where the (horse) drivers get water for their partners (horses). Notice the spout is a lion's head? |
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| Old Town Castle Square, with Zygmunt's Column in the middle. |
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| Old Town Castle Square with Zygmunt's Column in the center. |
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| Another view of the Castle Square with Zygmunt's Column. The old brick city walls can also be seen to the left of the Column. |
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| The base of Zygmunt's Column, with the old city brick walls seen to the left. |
St John's cathedral is located right off the Castle Square and towers over the other buildings there. It sits right next to the Jesuit Church that was originally built in 1609. St John's was originally built in the 14th century and was 90% demolished by the German Army in WWII. When it was rebuilt after the war, it was built to what they believed it looked like during the 14th century. It is the mother church of the archdiocese of Warsaw and is the only archcathedral in Warsaw. There are many important Poles buried in crypts under the main aisleway of the church. Polish Kings and Presidents; Dukes of Masovia; Composers, Musicians, Writers and Painters; Statesmen; a General; etc. The church was listed by UNESCO as being of cultural significance.
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| A nice aerial view of the Castle Square. Zygmunt's Column is in the center, with St John's Cathedral church towering over all from the background (on right, green roof). |
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Front of St John's Cathedral near Castle Square.
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The next three photos show a nice panoramic view of the Castle Square. These were taken from the dome of St Kazimierz.
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| The Royal Castle dominates this picture and shows how close modern day living is to Old Town Warsaw. |
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| The Castle Square with the Royal Castle on the right, Zygmunt's Column in the center of the square and St John's Cathedral rising up in the background (center). |
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| Town Houses on the left are the beginning of Old Town. In the center is the Castle Square. Far right is the front of the Royal Castle. |
Why would you have a Castle Square, if you didn't have a Castle to go with it?! This is the Royal Castle, nestled between the Castle Square and the river Vistula. It began life in the 14th century as the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It has been used as personal offices for the king and administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland. It was redesigned and used as an administrative center for the Tsar of the Imperial Russian administration in the 1800's. During WWI, it once again served as a residence for the German Governor-General. It was then the seat of the Polish Head of State in the early 1920's and became the residence of the Polish president in 1926. During WWII it was burned and looted by the Nazi Germans. After the Warsaw Uprising, it was completely rebuilt and reconstructed and now it serves as a national museum. It was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
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Royal Castle 2006
The central clock tower, called Sigismund's Tower, was designed in the 16th century. It stands 60 meters (about 196 feet) tall. It has been an inspiration for architects of other buildings in Warsaw as well as around the world. In Chicago (USA), the Copernicus Foundation converted the historic Gateway Theatre into a Polish Cultural and Civic Center in 1979. The interior was kept the same, while the exterior was remodeled and a clock tower was added to resemble Sigismund's Tower at this Royal Castle.
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The Clock Tower, also called Sigismund's Tower.
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There are many legends associated with a building of this age, as would be expected. One of the more curious ones (to me) follows. In 1569 the King Sigismund Augustus was in mourning after the death of his wife. He asked the sorcerer Master Twardowski to evoke his wife's ghost. He was deemed successful in this task, by using a "magic mirror". Many people suspect that the image seen in the mirror was the king's mistress, instead of his beloved deceased wife. Nonetheless, the king believed! This mirror is kept today in a Wegrow (eastern Poland town) Cathedral.
The next square to visit is the Market Place Square. It dates back to the late 13th century. It's considered the true heart of Old Town. They have fairs and artisans here, cafe's and shops (of course) and more beautiful town houses to enjoy their architecture and hand painting on the houses. Most of these houses were rebuilt after the great fire of 1607 destroyed this area. From about 1429 to 1817, the Town Hall was located here. It was taken down in 1817. While it stood, there were occasional executions held here as well.
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| A cafe' in the Market Place Square. |
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| Hand painting on the buildings. This was just gorgeous! |
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| More hand painting on the town homes. |
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| A gorgeous hand painted mural. |
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| More murals of the same hand painted house. |
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| I love the architecture and paintings on these old houses! |
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| More of the Market Place Square. |
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| Even a rainy day can't dull the beauty of these buildings! |
Finally, some different views of Old Town to share with you.
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| Our son with one of the statues we found around the Market Place Square. |
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| One of the church spires. |
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| The alleyways were made for horses and carriages, not modern day cars. They are narrow! |
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| More church spires. |
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| Another church, with birds resting on the cross. |
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| A building front, showing the old bricks beneath the plaster. |
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| Steps leading down to the waterway (river Vistula). |
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| Church of the Holy Spirit. The 1st wooden church was built here in the 14th century. The church is next to the smallest building in Warsaw. |
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I'm sorry, I cannot remember exactly where this guy was at. I loved him though and the intricate carving details (made of stone).
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That wraps up our Poland trip!! Next week's blog will return to farming. It's spring and time is coming to do some planting. Learn how to make the most of small spaces.
