Warsaw

• 1. Origins And Early History

  ›

  In 1300, a small fishing settlement named Warszawa emerged on the banks of the Vistula River. Prince Bolesław II of Masovia established this fortified town as the modern city's foundation. The first historical document attesting to its existence dates from 1313. By 1413, Warsaw became the official capital of the Masovian Duchy. The population then numbered approximately 4,500 people. Craftsmanship and trade formed the backbone of the early economy. In 1526, Masovia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland after the death of Janusz III. A minor revolt erupted in 1525 due to social and financial disparities between the Old Town and New Town districts. Jews were among those who settled in the newly formed self-governing precinct called New Town. In 1573, the city gave its name to the Warsaw Confederation which formally established religious freedom. Sigismund III transferred his royal court from Kraków to Warsaw in 1596. This decision made Warsaw the capital of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The city expanded significantly south and westwards during the following years. Private independent districts known as jurydyka were ruled by aristocrats and gentry under their own laws. Between 1655 and 1658, Swedish, Brandenburgian, and Transylvanian forces besieged and pillaged the city. The Great Northern War forced Warsaw to pay heavy tributes to invading armies from 1700 to 1721. Augustus II, Augustus III, and Stanisław August Poniatowski oversaw a time of great development. The Saxon monarchs employed many German architects, sculptors, and engineers. They added elements to the city in a style parallel with Dresden. Stanisław August Poniatowski boosted the native Polish architectural and artisanal scene. The year 1727 marked the opening of the Saxon Garden, the first publicly accessible park. The Załuski Library, the first Polish public library, was founded in 1747. It became the largest at the time. Stanisław II Augustus remodelled the interior of the Royal Castle. He made Warsaw a centre of culture and the arts. He extended the Royal Baths Park and ordered the construction or refurbishment of numerous palaces. This earned Warsaw the nickname Paris of the North. In 1795, Warsaw remained the capital until it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia.

  2577

• 2. World War II Destruction

  ›

  On the 1st of September 1939, Germany invaded Poland and started World War II. Warsaw was defended until the 27th of September when Central Poland came under the rule of the General Government. All higher education institutions were immediately closed. Several hundred thousand Jews, representing about 30% of the city's population, were herded into the Warsaw Ghetto. In July 1942, Jews began to be deported en masse to extermination camps like Treblinka. On the 19th of April 1943, Jewish fighters launched the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the order to annihilate the ghetto. Despite being heavily outgunned, the ghetto held out for almost a month. Almost all survivors were massacred after the fighting ended. By July 1944, the Red Army pursued the Nazis toward Warsaw. The Polish government-in-exile in London gave orders to the underground Home Army to seize control before the Red Army arrived. On the 1st of August 1944, the Warsaw Uprising began as the Red Army neared the city. The armed struggle was planned to last 48 hours but went on for 63 days. Eventually, Home Army fighters and civilians assisting them were forced to capitulate. They were transported to PoW camps in Germany while the entire civilian population was expelled. Polish civilian deaths are estimated at between 150,000 and 200,000. Hitler ordered the entire city to be razed to the ground. Monuments and government buildings were blown up by special German troops known as Verbrennungs- und Vernichtungskommando. About 85% of the city was destroyed, including the historic Old Town and the Royal Castle. On the 17th of January 1945, Soviet troops and Polish troops of the First Polish Army entered the ruins of Warsaw. They liberated Warsaw's suburbs from German occupation.

  343840

• 3. Post-War Reconstruction Era

  ›

  In 1945, most of Warsaw lay in ruins after bombings, revolts, fighting, and demolition. The area of the former ghetto was razed to the ground with only a sea of rubble remaining. The immense destruction prompted a temporary transfer of the new government to Łódź. Nevertheless, Warsaw officially resumed its role as the capital of Poland. After World War II, the Bricks for Warsaw campaign was initiated. Large prefabricated housing projects were erected to address the major housing shortage. Plattenbau-styled apartment buildings were seen as a solution to avoid Warsaw's former density problem. Some surviving 19th-century buildings like the Kronenberg Palace were demolished in the 1950s and 1960s. The Śródmieście region's urban system was completely reshaped. Former cobblestone streets were asphalted and significantly widened for traffic use. Many notable streets such as Gęsia, Nalewki, and Wielka disappeared or were split in half due to the construction of Plac Defilad. Much of the central district was designated for future skyscrapers. The 237-metre Palace of Culture and Science resembling New York's Empire State Building was built as a gift from the Soviet Union. Despite wartime destruction, many historic streets, buildings, and churches were restored to their original form. John Paul II visited his native country in 1979 and 1983. In 1979, he celebrated Mass in Victory Square and ended his sermon with a call to renew the face of Poland. These words encouraged anti-communist fervor and liberal-democratic reforms.

  144076

• 4. Modern Economic Hub

  ›

  In 2021, Warsaw's gross metropolitan product was estimated at €100 billion. This places Warsaw 20th among metropolitan areas in the European Union by largest GDP. Warsaw generates almost one-fifth of the Polish national income. In 2019, Warsaw was one of the top destinations for foreign investors in Europe. The average monthly gross salary in the enterprise sector in the last quarter of 2022 amounted to 8,104 PLN. It was 404 PLN higher than the average in the Masovian Voivodeship. There are 525,475 registered business entities in Warsaw. Most operate in the districts of Śródmieście, Mokotów, Wola, and Praga-Południe. 1.1 million people work in the enterprise sector. Warsaw has a well-developed office base covering 6.27 million square meters. The largest office buildings include Varso, Warsaw Spire, Forest Tower, and P180. In October 2019, Warsaw's unemployment rate was 1.3%, the lowest in the country. Shopping and consumerism is an important component of the economy. Retail streets like New World Street host many luxury stores. Most retailers choose to operate in central shopping centres such as Złote Tarasy and Galeria Mokotów. Warsaw Stock Exchange was re-established in April 1991 following the end of communist planned economy. Today it is the largest market in the region with 433 companies listed. Total capitalisation reached 1 trillion PLN as of the 26th of November 2020. From 1991 until 2000, the stock exchange was located in the building previously used as headquarters of the communist Polish United Workers' Party. Industry sectors include high-tech, electrotechnical, chemical, cosmetic, construction, food processing, printing, metallurgy, machinery, and clothing. Following World War II, authorities decided that the city would be transformed into a major centre for heavy industry. Numerous large factories were built including Huta Warszawa steel works and the FSO car factory. The now-defunct FSO established in 1951 was once Warsaw's most successful corporation. Notable vehicles assembled there included the FSO Warszawa, FSO Syrena, Polski Fiat 125p, and FSO Polonez. In 1995, the factory was purchased by South Korean manufacturer Daewoo.

  9151632

• 5. Architectural Diversity

  ›

  Warsaw's cityscape is dominated by contemporary architecture with functionalist and modern edifices. Nonetheless, built heritage remains present in the Old Town and southern part of the central district. Warsaw has excellent examples of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods within walking distance of the centre. St John's Cathedral dates from 1390 and represents typical Masovian Brick Gothic. St Mary's Church was completed in 1411. The Burbach townhouse dates to the 14th century while Gunpowder Tower was built after 1379. Royal Castle's Curia Maior spans 1407, 1410. The house of the Baryczko merchant family dates from 1562. A building called The Negro dates to the early 17th century. Salwator tenement was constructed in 1632. The Royal Castle was remodelled between 1596 and 1619. The Jesuit Church dates from 1609, 1626. Elements of Baroque architecture appeared at the turn of the 17th century. St. Hyacinth's Church and Sigismund's Column were added during this period. The Counter-Reformation enforced the Baroque style with churches like St. Anthony of Padua and Carmelite Church. Wilanów Palace was erected for John III Sobieski as a significant secular building. The Saxon Kings ruled from 1697 to 1763. The Saxon Axis and Visitationist Church date from this late Baroque era. Neoclassical architecture began to be favoured in the second half of the 18th century thanks to King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Domenico Merlini was the best-known architect working in Warsaw at that time. Significant buildings include Rabbit House, Holy Trinity Church, and the façade of St. Anne's Church. Neoclassicism dominated the cityscape throughout the 19th century. The Great Theater, Bank Square, and Warsaw Society of Friends of Sciences are notable examples. The Saxon Palace underwent complete reconstruction where the central body was demolished and replaced by an 11-bay colonnade. Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance movements emerged at the turn of the 20th century. Hotel Bristol combines Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance designs. After Poland regained independence in 1918, national historicism became dominant. Monumental public buildings included Sejm, Senate, Ministry of Religious Affairs, National Museum, State Geological Institute, Domestic Economy Bank, Supreme Audit Office, and campus of Warsaw School of Economics. New districts were established in Żoliborz, Ochota, and Mokotów often designed around a central square with radiating streets. Exceptional bourgeois architecture of later periods was not restored by communist authorities after the war. Post-war architecture includes the Palace of Culture and Science based on Empire State Building. Contemporary architecture is represented by Metropolitan Office Building at Pilsudski Square and Varso Tower both by Norman Foster. Warsaw University Library features a garden on its roof and view of the Vistula River. Złota 44 residential skyscraper was designed by Daniel Libeskind. Golden Terraces comprise seven overlapping domes mixed-use retail and business centre.

  1779818283

• 6. Demographic Shifts

  ›

  Prior to World War II, Warsaw hosted the world's second largest Jewish population after New York. Approximately 30 percent of the city's total population in the late 1930s were Jews. In 1933, 833,500 out of 1,178,914 people declared Polish as their mother tongue. There was also a notable German community. The ethnic composition of contemporary Warsaw is incomparable to the diversity that existed for nearly 300 years. Most modern-day population growth is based on internal migration and urbanisation. In the 2021 census, 98.78% of Warsaw residents identified themselves as Polish. Only 0.46% identified as Ukrainian while 0.31% identified as Belarusian. In 1939, approximately 1,300,000 people resided in Warsaw. By 1945, the population had dropped to 420,000. During the first years after the war, population growth rate was high. The city soon began to suffer from lack of flats and dwellings to house new incomers. The first remedial measure was enlargement of Warsaw's total area in 1951. City authorities introduced limitations allowing only spouses and children of permanent residents plus some persons of public importance to stay. While all restrictions on residency registration were scrapped in 1990, negative opinion of Varsovians continues today. Current demographic trends show clear increase in number of residents after 1989 transformations from 1.6 to about 2.0 million inhabitants. Between 1989 and 2017, 213 thousand registered people moved from Warsaw to suburbs. In opposite direction it was only 110 thousand. A clear aging of population occurred with people aged 60 and over constituting 27.2% of registered population at end of 2017. In 2019, it was estimated that 40,000 people living in Warsaw were foreign-born. Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Belarusians, and Russians were most prominent groups. After 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, over 1.1 million refugees passed through Warsaw. At beginning of March 2022, approximately 40,000 people applied for help every day. Over 104,000 Ukrainian citizens who arrived in first days still reside in city including 17,000 young people and children attending urban educational institutions. Immigrant population increased significantly to about 340,000 due to Russo-Ukrainian war.

  9899