Warsaw (Warszawa), the capital of Poland, sits on both banks of the river Vistula. With a population of 1.8 million, the city is the biggest in Poland. Warsaw is the seat of the parliament, senate, president, government and all the major political parties. The city is an important center for the economy, sciences, and culture as well as the main transportation hub.
In the Middle Ages Warsaw was just a small stronghold. It grew in importance at the end of the 16th century when King Sigismund III Vasa decided to move the capital of the country here from Cracow. The move accelerated the development of the city.
In the centuries since, the city suffered from multiple fires, foreign invasions and destruction caused by national uprisings. The Second World War brought about serious damage and a large part of the city was destroyed. After the war, its handful of historic precincts were meticulously reconstructed and returned to their former splendor.
PHOTO: THE WARSAW (POLAND) TRADE OFFICE
A very special atmosphere can be felt in the area of the Old Town, which is included on the UNESCO list of cultural treasures of the world's heritage. Its medieval layout is noticeable. For example, two streets lead to every corner of the market place. They are quite narrow and lined with houses built between the 15th and 18th centuries. The whole of the Old Town area is surrounded by fragments of the old defensive walls, the moat and the barbican.
Particularly charming is the Old Town Square, lined with the narrow, colorful fronts of burgher houses. Not far from the square stands St. John's Cathedral, built in Gothic style and subsequently remodeled several times. Several Polish kings were crowned here and the Constitution of May 3, passed in 1791, was sworn here.
Within the Old Town area there are a few other churches and monastic buildings dating back to between the 14th and 18th centuries; they contain outstanding pieces of art and national mementoes.
The Royal Way refers to a route starting from the Castle Square, with its tall Column of Sigismund III Vasa and running to Wilanow, a former royal suburban residence and now a district of Warsaw.
Centuries ago a ducal stronghold stood where the Royal Castle now stands. Later it was extended and developed to become the royal residence and the seat of parliamentary sessions. Now, after its reconstruction, the Royal Castle is a treasury of art masterpieces and national mementoes.
The historical part of the city -- called the Royal Way -- includes such streets as Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat and Aleje Uiazdowskie. South of the latter street spreads one of the most picturesque park-and-palace complexes in Europe, called the Royal Lazienki Park. It was built in the late 18th century as a summer residence for King Stanistaw August Poniatowski, the last of the Polish monarchs and a great patron of arts.
The star site of the frequently visited park is the palace upon the water neighboring a number of other buildings beautifully decorated and crammed with objets d'art.
From spring till autumn open-air concerts are held near the Chopin Monument standing just behind the central entrance to the park. Further south, on the city limits, is the second royal residence, Wilanow. This vast park-and-palace complex served as the royal summer residence for King Jan III Sobieski, remembered for his victory over the Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683.
The Baroque palace was erected in the late 17th century. Its luxuriously decorated period interiors include a gallery of Polish portraits. Vast Italian and French style gardens and an English landscape park, which surround the residence, add much to its beauty.
Warsaw has many other historical monuments and richly stocked museums of which the National Museum collections can be recommended (Polish and European painting, applied art, Faras frescoes).
A tiny village 60kms west of Warsaw, Zelazowa Wola, owes its fame to Frederic Chopin, who was born here in 1810. The little manor surrounded by a park is now a museum. The major attraction of the place is the seasonal summer piano recitals, often performed by top rank virtuosi.
While in Warsaw, one may also visit Lodz, Poland's second largest urban center, located 130kms southwest from the capital. In the 19th century the city underwent an unprecedented economic boom, becoming one of Europe's major textile industry centers.
Its numerous, well-preserved historical buildings, including Poland's largest complex of Secession style architecture in Piotrkowska Street, owe their existence to the enterprising industrialists who rushed to build textile mills.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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