1.
Castle Square, Warsaw
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Warsaws Castle Square is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – located in Warsaw, Poland. It is a meeting place for tourists and locals. The Square features the landmark Sigismunds Column to the south-west, and is surrounded by historic townhouses and it marks the beginning of the bustling Royal Route extending to the south. The column commemorating King Sigismund III Vasa is the oldest and one of the monuments of the city. On the east side of the stands the Royal Castle reconstructed after the devastation of World War II. It was formerly the residence of the dukes of Mazovia, and then of the Polish kings, the Nazis bombed and blew it up by during World War II. In 1907 the viaduct was modernized to handle electric trams that went over there less than a year later and this square has witnessed many dramatic scenes in Polish history. Patriotic demonstrations took place there during the period before the outbreak of the January Uprising of 1863, on February 27,1861, Russian bullets killed five people. During martial law the square became the scene of the particularly brutal riot, the square is a hub for tourists and locals, who gather to watch street entertainers, participate in rallies, watch concerts and even engage in breakdancing. In 1997, at the Castle Square, U. S. President Bill Clinton gave a speech welcoming Poland to membership in NATO, according to official information, more than 1.5 million visitors were counted. Tourist attractions in Warsaw Virtual tour through Royal Castle Castle Square, Zapiecek. com
2.
Nicolaus Copernicus
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Copernicus was born and died in Royal Prussia, a region that had been part of the Kingdom of Poland since 1466. A polyglot and polymath, he obtained a doctorate in law and was also a mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat. In 1517 he derived a quantity theory of money – a key concept in economics –, Nicolaus Copernicus was born on 19 February 1473 in the city of Toruń, in the province of Royal Prussia, in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. His father was a merchant from Kraków and his mother was the daughter of a wealthy Toruń merchant, Nicolaus was the youngest of four children. His brother Andreas became an Augustinian canon at Frombork and his sister Barbara, named after her mother, became a Benedictine nun and, in her final years, prioress of a convent in Chełmno, she died after 1517. His sister Katharina married the businessman and Toruń city councilor Barthel Gertner and left five children, Copernicus fathers family can be traced to a village in Silesia near Nysa. The villages name has been variously spelled Kopernik, Copernik, Copernic, Kopernic, Coprirnik, in the 14th century, members of the family began moving to various other Silesian cities, to the Polish capital, Kraków, and to Toruń. The father, Mikołaj the Elder, likely the son of Jan, Nicolaus was named after his father, who appears in records for the first time as a well-to-do merchant who dealt in copper, selling it mostly in Danzig. He moved from Kraków to Toruń around 1458, Nicolaus father was actively engaged in the politics of the day and supported Poland and the cities against the Teutonic Order. In 1454 he mediated negotiations between Polands Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki and the Prussian cities for repayment of war loans, Copernicuss father married Barbara Watzenrode, the astronomers mother, between 1461 and 1464. The Modlibógs were a prominent Polish family who had been known in Polands history since 1271. The Watzenrode family, like the Kopernik family, had come from Silesia from near Świdnica and they soon became one of the wealthiest and most influential patrician families. Lucas Watzenrode the Elder, a merchant and in 1439–62 president of the judicial bench, was a decided opponent of the Teutonic Knights. In 1453 he was the delegate from Toruń at the Grudziądz conference that planned the uprising against them, Lucas Watzenrode the Younger, the astronomers maternal uncle and patron, was educated at the University of Kraków and at the universities of Cologne and Bologna. He was an opponent of the Teutonic Order, and its Grand Master once referred to him as the devil incarnate. In 1489 Watzenrode was elected Bishop of Warmia against the preference of King Casimir IV, as a result, Watzenrode quarreled with the king until Casimir IVs death three years later. Watzenrode was then able to close relations with three successive Polish monarchs, John I Albert, Alexander Jagiellon, and Sigismund I the Old. He was a friend and key advisor to each ruler, Watzenrode came to be considered the most powerful man in Warmia, and his wealth, connections and influence allowed him to secure Copernicus education and career as a canon at Frombork Cathedral
3.
Warsaw
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Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-central Poland, roughly 260 kilometres from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.750 million residents within a metropolitan area of 3.101 million residents. The city limits cover 516.9 square kilometres, while the area covers 6,100.43 square kilometres. Once described as Paris of the East, Warsaw was believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world until World War II. On 9 November 1939, the city was awarded Polands highest military decoration for heroism, Warsaw is one of Europe’s most dynamic metropolitan cities. In 2012 the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Warsaw as the 32nd most liveable city in the world, in 2017 the city came 4th in the “Business-friendly” category and 8th in the “Human capital and life style”. It was also ranked as one of the most liveable cities in Central, Warsaw is considered an Alpha– global city, a major international tourist destination and a significant cultural, political and economic hub. The city is a significant centre of research and development, BPO, ITO, the Warsaw Stock Exchange is the largest and most important in Central and Eastern Europe. Frontex, the European Union agency for external security, has its headquarters in Warsaw. Together with Frankfurt, London and Paris, Warsaw is also one of the cities with the highest number of skyscrapers in the European Union, the city is the seat of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Warsaw. The historic city-centre of Warsaw with its picturesque Old Town in 1980 was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, buildings represent examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. Warsaw provides many examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and modern periods, furthermore, the city is positioning itself as Europes chic cultural capital with thriving art and club scenes and renowned restaurants. Folk etymology attributes the city name to a fisherman, Wars, according to legend, Sawa was a mermaid living in the Vistula River with whom Wars fell in love. In actuality, Warsz was a 12th/13th-century nobleman who owned a village located at the site of Mariensztat neighbourhood. See also the Vršovci family which had escaped to Poland, the official city name in full is miasto stołeczne Warszawa. A native or resident of Warsaw is known as a Varsovian – in Polish warszawiak, warszawianin, warszawianka, warszawiacy, other names for Warsaw include Varsovia and Varsóvia, Varsovie, Varsavia, Warschau, װאַרשע /Varshe, Варшава /Varšava /Varshava, Varšuva, Varsó. The first fortified settlements on the site of todays Warsaw were located in Bródno, after Jazdów was raided by nearby clans and dukes, a new similar settlement was established on the site of a small fishing village called Warszowa
4.
Warsaw Old Town
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The Warsaw Old Town is the oldest part of the capital city. It is bounded by the Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along with the bank of Vistula river, Grodzka, Mostowa and it is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Warsaw. The heart of the area is the Old Town Market Place, rich in restaurants, cafés, surrounding streets feature medieval architecture such as the city walls, the Barbican and St. Johns Cathedral. The Old Town was established in the 13th century, initially surrounded by an earthwork rampart, prior to 1339 it was fortified with brick city walls. The town originally grew up around the castle of the Dukes of Mazovia that later became the Royal Castle, the Market Square was laid out sometime in the late 13th or early 14th century, along the main road linking the castle with the New Town to the north. Until 1817 the Old Towns most notable feature was the Town Hall built before 1429, in 1701 the square was rebuilt by Tylman Gamerski, and in 1817 the Town Hall was demolished. In the early 1910s Warsaw Old Town was the home of the prominent Yiddish writer Alter Kacyzne, parts of it were bohemian, with painters and artists having their studios, while some streets were a Red-light district housing brothels. In 1918 the Royal Castle once again became the seat of Polands highest authorities, in the late 1930s, during the mayoralty of Stefan Starzyński, the municipal authorities began refurbishing the Old Town and restoring it to its former glory. The Barbican and the Old Town Market Place were partly restored and these efforts, however, were brought to an end by the outbreak of World War II. During the Invasion of Poland, much of the district was damaged by the German Luftwaffe. Following the Siege of Warsaw, parts of the Old Town were rebuilt, a statue commemorating the Uprising, the Little Insurgent, now stands on the Old Towns medieval city wall. After World War II, the Old Town was meticulously rebuilt, in an effort at anastylosis, as many as possible of the original bricks were reused. The rubble was sifted for reusable decorative elements, which were reinserted into their original places. The Old Town Market Place, which dates back to the end of the 13th century, is the heart of the Old Town. Here the representatives of guilds and merchants met in the Town Hall, and fairs, the houses around it represented the Gothic style until the great fire of 1607, after which they were rebuilt in late-Renaissance style. Castle Square is a visitors first view of the reconstructed Old Town and it is an impressive sight, dominated by Zygmunts Column, which towers above the beautiful Old Town houses. Enclosed between the Old Town and the Royal Castle, Castle Square is steeped in history, here was the gateway leading into the city called the Kraków Gate. It was developed in the 14th century and continued to be an area for the kings
5.
Royal Castle, Warsaw
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The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle residency that formerly served throughout the centuries as the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town, the personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from the sixteenth century until the Partitions of Poland. Initially the complex served as the residence of the Dukes of Masovia, and since the century, the seat of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In its long history the Royal Castle was repeatedly plundered and devastated by the invading Swedish, Brandenburgian, Prussian and Tsarist armies. The Constitution of 3 May 1791, the first of its type in Europe, in the 19th century, after the collapse of the November Uprising, it was used as an administrative centre by the Tsar and was re-designed for the needs of the Imperial Russian administration. During the course of World War I it was the residence of the German Governor-General, in 1920-1922 the Royal Castle was the seat of the Polish Head of State and between 1926 and World War II the building was the residence of the Polish president, Ignacy Mościcki. Reconstruction of the carried out in 1971-1984 was led by the Civic Committee. It was afforded by mainly US donations, in 1980, the Royal Castle, together with the Old Town was registered as a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today it is a historical and national monument, and is listed as a national museum visited by over 500,000 people every year, the Royal Castle, due to its iconic appearance and its long history, is one of Warsaws most recognizable landmarks. In the 1339 the Papal Legate in Warsaw heard a case brought by the King of Poland, Casimir III the Great and he claimed that they had illegally seized a slice of Polish territory — Pomerania and the Kujawy region. The documents in this case are the earliest written testimony to the existence of Warsaw, at that time a fortified town surrounded by earthen and wooden ramparts, and situated where the Royal Castle now stands, it was the seat of Trojden, Duke of Masovia. At the end of the 13th century, during the Dukes Conrad II of Mazovia reign, the next duke, Casimir I, decided to build the first brick building here at the burg-citys area the Great Tower. Its facade, which was standing in 1944, was knocked down by the Germans. The character of the new residence and its size decided the change of the buildings status, and from 1414 it functioned as a Prince Manor. When the Masovia region was incorporated in the Kingdom of Poland in 1526, the edifice, which until then had been the Castle of the Dukes of Masovia, became one of the royal residences. From 1548 onwards Queen Bona Sforza resided in it with her daughters Izabela, who became Queen of Hungary, Catherine, later to become Queen of Sweden, in 1556–1557 and in 1564 the King of Poland, Sigismund II Augustus, convened royal parliaments in Warsaw. In 1569–1572 King Sigismund II Augustus started alterations in the Castle, the Curia Maior was altered so as provide a meeting place for the Parliament, with premises for the Chamber of Deputies on the ground floor, and the Senate Chamber on the first floor. This was one of the first attempts in Europe to create a building that would be used solely for parliamentary purposes, a new Renaissance—style building, known as the Royal House, was erected next to the Curia Maior
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Presidential Palace, Warsaw
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The Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has rebuilt and remodeled many times. For its first 175 years, the palace was the property of several aristocratic families. In 1791 it hosted the authors and advocates of the Constitution of May 3,1791 and it was in 1818 that the palace began its ongoing career as a governmental structure, when it became the seat of the Viceroy of the Polish Kingdom under Russian occupation. Following Polands resurrection after World War I, in 1918, the building was taken over by the newly reconstituted Polish authorities, during World War II, it served the countrys German occupiers as a Deutsches Haus and survived intact the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. After the war, it resumed its function as seat of the Polish Council of Ministers and it was said that he owned so much landed property that he could cross the breadth of the Commonwealth while spending every night in one of his own manors. The palace was not completed in the Hetmans lifetime, as he died unexpectedly in 1646 at his Brody residence, the palace was completed by Koniecpolskis son Aleksander in the style of a baroque residence, imitating those of northern Italy and Genoa. A view of the palace in a Warsaw panorama of 1656 by Erik Dahlberg confirms this, in 1674 the palace became, for the next 144 years, the property of the Radziwiłł family. After her death, her son Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł I began renovation of the palace and he entrusted this task to the kings architect, Augustyn Locci. The next-to-last heir in tail of Nieśwież and Ołyka was Karol Stanisław Panie Kochanku Radziwiłł, Voivode of Vilnius, son of Michał Kazimierz Rybeńko Radziwiłł. He had inherited huge estates from his father and uncle which made him the wealthiest magnate in Poland in the half of the 18th century. He leased out the palace to Franciszek Ryx to house a theater which staged plays, during the Four-Year Sejm of 1788-1792, he invited all the members of the four deliberating estates to dine there daily. Two meals were served every day, breakfast before the session, for 300 people. Four thousand guests were invited, and the feast cost over 2 million złotys and this document is called the first constitution of its kind in Europe by historian Norman Davies. Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł II died a sick and blind man at age 56 and his property was inherited by Dominik, son of his half-brother Hieronim. Dominik, who had been wounded at the Battle of Hanau, the line of the Nieśwież–Ołyka heirs in tail died out with him. In 1818 the palace became the seat of the Viceroy of the Polish Kingdom, at the last he adopted a servile attitude toward Alexander I, King of Poland and Tsar of Russia, who created him a duke in 1818. Zajączek had lost a leg at the Berezina River and was carried about by his valets in an armchair, beginning in 1818 the palace was rebuilt in classicist style by the architect Chrystian Piotr Aigner
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Media related to Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw at Wikimedia Commons
