Warsaw, Poland
Warsaw is the largest city in Poland and it is the Capital
Population: estimated at 1.74 million
It is ranked one of the most livable cities in Central Europe.
The German invasion in 1939, the massacre of the Jewish population and deportations to concentration camps led to the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto in 1943 and to the major and devastating Warsaw Uprising between August and October 1944. Warsaw gained the title of the "Phoenix City" because it has survived many wars, conflicts and invasions throughout its long history. Most notably, the city required painstaking rebuilding after the extensive damage it suffered in World War II, which destroyed 85% of its buildings.
We arrived Saturday afternoon to some dreary weather that more or less continued throughout the week, but we didn't let that dampen our adventures. Craig and I explored Old Town on our own Saturday in the rain and there were very few people out walking around. Lots of gift shops, several with pottery and of course, many restaurants and cafes. Our only regret on this trip is not planning to visit Krakow. The reason for this trip was the Canadian Defence Attache (CDA) conference. We met up with several other Canadian attaches and their spouses from around Europe to discuss the shared and unique experiences within each of the countries we now live in. I have to admit it was wonderful being with other Canadians experiencing similar lives to us and generally just being with other Canadians. It was a great group! We spent lots of time together. The attaches and their spouses met separately and together and an itinerary was meticulously planned out for us for the week. I didn't have to plan anything myself except where I was going to shop and shop I did! I bought some pottery, some Polish-made clothes, a scarf and on the last day I was obviously in a shopping mood and I purchased two pairs of short boots! Craig bought a scarf and a Christmas sweater, which he proudly wore to the dinner at the Polish Attaches home! lol We also filled ourselves with lots of good food including, of course, perogies/dumplings. Polish food in restaurants was at times very heavy, but very tasty. We also sampled some more refined Polish food that wasn't so filling, but equally delicious! I would have loved to include photos of the group, but some of the people in it weren't keen on their photos being published.
Canonicity Square (below) - note the tiny house in the corner - that, we were
told, was so narrow in order to pay less for taxes as taxes were based
on the buildings frontage. The back of the house is very large. It is
said you walk around the bell and make wishes. Once around (while
holding onto the top of the bell) for small wishes and twice around for
larger wishes.
Tracie and I had fun in the photo booth - don't know why I love those, but I do.
Obviously we weren't the best at anticipating when the photo was going
to be taken - actually, I take that back, Tracie was good in all the photos!
We arrived Saturday afternoon to some dreary weather that more or less continued throughout the week, but we didn't let that dampen our adventures. Craig and I explored Old Town on our own Saturday in the rain and there were very few people out walking around. Lots of gift shops, several with pottery and of course, many restaurants and cafes. Our only regret on this trip is not planning to visit Krakow. The reason for this trip was the Canadian Defence Attache (CDA) conference. We met up with several other Canadian attaches and their spouses from around Europe to discuss the shared and unique experiences within each of the countries we now live in. I have to admit it was wonderful being with other Canadians experiencing similar lives to us and generally just being with other Canadians. It was a great group! We spent lots of time together. The attaches and their spouses met separately and together and an itinerary was meticulously planned out for us for the week. I didn't have to plan anything myself except where I was going to shop and shop I did! I bought some pottery, some Polish-made clothes, a scarf and on the last day I was obviously in a shopping mood and I purchased two pairs of short boots! Craig bought a scarf and a Christmas sweater, which he proudly wore to the dinner at the Polish Attaches home! lol We also filled ourselves with lots of good food including, of course, perogies/dumplings. Polish food in restaurants was at times very heavy, but very tasty. We also sampled some more refined Polish food that wasn't so filling, but equally delicious! I would have loved to include photos of the group, but some of the people in it weren't keen on their photos being published.
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| Fried periogies - they come with all sorts of fillings. We ate a couple of times at Zapiecek Restaurant - inexpensive and authentic food. |
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| It may not LOOK like good food, but it was! Great smile Tracie! |
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| Craig's new sweater and scarf! |
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| Presidential Palace - originally built in 1643 and has since been rebuilt and remodeled several times. It survived the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. |
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| Quaint street as we approach Old Town from our hotel. We stopped for coffee and dessert in the yellow building out front... it was very cute. |
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| Old town from above - internet photo. Old Town was originally established in the 13th Century. In the 1930's, Old Town was a slum neighborhood with poor families living in subdivided apartments that used to be aristrocrats' palaces. In the late 1930's, municipal authorities began refurbishing Old Town and returning it to its former glory. These efforts were brought to an end, however by the outbreak of WWII. During the invasion of Poland (1939) much of the area was destroyed by Germans who targeted the residential areas and historic landmarks. Following the siege of Warsaw, parts of the town were rebuilt. Unfortunately, following the Warsaw Uprising (August - October 1944), what had been left standing was blown up by the German Army. After WWII, Old Town was meticulously rebuilt using as many of the original bricks and decorative elements as possible. |
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| I told him to do a different pose and this is what I got! lol |
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| Restored buildings of Old Town |
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| Narrow streets of Old Town |
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| Nobody around on this rainy Saturday afternoon |
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| This was a beautiful Fall flower arrangement at the restaurant that is like "Hell's Kitchen" in Old Town Square |
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| Beautiful square - I forget the name of it - it's not like most cities where these squares are full of lively events. The residents of this area stopped any loud events from taking place here - according to our city tour guide. |
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| Fortress Walls of Old Town |
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| Warsaw Uprising Monument - men fought with every weapon they could find - they were not well armed |
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| Monument showing the soldiers literally coming out of the ground (sewers) to fight in the Uprising - dedicated to the uprising insurgents. The uprising was one of the most important and most devastating events in the history of Warsaw and Poland. Up to 90% of Warsaw's buildings were destroyed during the fighting and destruction of the city carried out by the Germans after the Uprising. The insurgents of the uprising were brutally crushed by the Germans over a period of 63 days while the Soviets watched on - they limited supplies and stopped Soviet advance through Polish territory. The Soviets entered the ruins in 1945 after the Germans left. Because of all the political controversy, this monument was only unveiled on August 1st., 1989 - the 45th anniversary of the Uprising. |
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| Residential street near Old Town |
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| Some of the beautiful pottery in shops.... I didn't get any photos of the pottery! What was I thinking? This one is from one of the other ladies at the conference - I asked if I could use this one and the one of the pumpkin below. |
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| Some unique pottery in Old Town shop |
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 Tracie making her wish... |
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| Monument to those deported and murdered in Siberia |
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| A statue commemorating the Uprising - "The Little Insurgent" - signifying all the young boys who helped with the Uprising including delivering mail - a very dangerous job. |
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| Palace of Culture and Science - built between 1952-1955 and was a gift of the Soviet people to the Polish Nation - offered by Joseph Stalin himself. It is the highest building in Poland at 237 m. According to our City Walking Tour guide, the people of Poland wish they could just tear it down because it was a gift from Stalin. |
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| View from the observation tower of the Palace of Culture and Science |
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| Observation floor of the Palace |
As a large group, we were guided through an emotional tour of the Warsaw Uprising Museum (opened in 2004). Approximately six million Polish citizens perished during World War II, which was about 1/5th of the pre-war population. Most were civilian victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the occupation of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Approximately 2.7 - 2.9 million of those who perished were Jewish as they were gathered and contained in the the ghettos where they died of starvation, were killed in the Jewish Uprising from the ghetto or killed in concentration camps - the Holocaust. It is SO much information to remember, but during our tour, I recall two stories our guide told us. I may not remember details, but I remember the stories and they will remain with me.
One, was of a lady who rescued babies by hiding them in a secret bottom compartment of her bag and she even trained her dog to bark as officials walked by to mask any noise from the baby. She saved thousands of babies in this manner. Forgive me, I do no recall specifics nor her name, but her acts of courage are amazing because this kind of assistance would warrant her a death sentence. I'm always amazed when I hear such stories of the power and compassion of one person and how they can make such a difference.
The second story was from a gentleman who visited the museum and when he saw the glass case that contained bullets and guns it reminded him of when he and his family were taken out of their home by the Germans and they were lined up to be shot. He was just a small boy at this time and he remembers watching them unload the large packs of bullets. They came so close to being executed, but a German soldier approached and said an order was given not to shoot them in the streets as this method was taking too much time. The gunman argued with this soldier because he had taken the time to unload all his bullets and he wanted to use them. Luckily for this man and his family, the soldier who came upon them at that moment won the argument and this small boy managed to survive to tell the story to our guide at the museum.
In this museum they have several short films with original coverage from the time of the Uprising. They also have replicas of the sewer systems that insurgents used to move about under the city.
After the Uprising Museum we were taken to a unique restaurant. One of the buildings that survived the war and used to house weapons I believe (I cannot find the information on the internet). They brought the appetizers "family style" on a large platter and we all were able to sample each one. If you like herring, I was told it was delicious. With so much more food to come I decided not to try it, but everything else was very tasty and the meal was very much enjoyed by all. Thank you to our hosts for arranging the whole day for us and the whole week for that matter.
One, was of a lady who rescued babies by hiding them in a secret bottom compartment of her bag and she even trained her dog to bark as officials walked by to mask any noise from the baby. She saved thousands of babies in this manner. Forgive me, I do no recall specifics nor her name, but her acts of courage are amazing because this kind of assistance would warrant her a death sentence. I'm always amazed when I hear such stories of the power and compassion of one person and how they can make such a difference.
The second story was from a gentleman who visited the museum and when he saw the glass case that contained bullets and guns it reminded him of when he and his family were taken out of their home by the Germans and they were lined up to be shot. He was just a small boy at this time and he remembers watching them unload the large packs of bullets. They came so close to being executed, but a German soldier approached and said an order was given not to shoot them in the streets as this method was taking too much time. The gunman argued with this soldier because he had taken the time to unload all his bullets and he wanted to use them. Luckily for this man and his family, the soldier who came upon them at that moment won the argument and this small boy managed to survive to tell the story to our guide at the museum.
In this museum they have several short films with original coverage from the time of the Uprising. They also have replicas of the sewer systems that insurgents used to move about under the city.
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| Our Uprising Museum tickets |
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| The reconstructed sewer tunnels in the museum |
The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht. No stone can remain standing. Every building must be razed to its foundation.
— SS chief Heinrich Himmler, October 17, 1944, SS officers' conference[1]
Warsaw has to be pacified, that is, razed to the ground.
— Adolf Hitler, 1944[2]
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| Ruins of Warsaw after the Uprising |
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| Menu from the restaurant the entire group attended together - about 35 of us |
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| Inside the restaurant - with open kitchen and a 24 hour section where all the tables are arranged in a square facing each other around the chefs in the center. |
