Warsaw by DocentX (2007)

Warsaw by DocentX (2007) PART II

Photos taken in April - May 2007


Southern Downtown ('Srodmiescie Poludniowe')

'Zbawiciela square' = 'Saviour square'





Around 'Zbawiciela square'









'Aleja Roz' = 'Roses Avenue'





'Koszykowa' street



'Mokotowska' street











'Krucza' steet



'Wilcza' street



















'Marszalkowska street' - one of the most important streets in Warsaw









'Plac Konstytucji' = 'Constitution Square'




'Trasa Lazienkowska' - one of the key Warsaw arteries - in a distance 'Praga Poludnie' district



some Warsaw Park



a few shots from Warsaw 'Powisle' district
















Once again Warsaw southern downtown

Focus Filtrowa office building





















Around 'Plac Politechniki' = 'University of Technology Square'







Warsaw Univesity of Technology - main building













'Lwowska' street = 'Lviv' street



'Sniadeckich' street











'Plac Konstytucji' = 'Constitution Square'



going from 'Constitution Square' to metro station







'Wierzbno' metro station




'Sluzewiec' district - one of the key business districts of Warsaw - lot's of office buildings are localized here, lot's of const. is going on

some photos were taken from a running tram...

New headquater of Polish Public TV



some other buildings in 'Sluzewiec' area


























'Mokotow' district

Europlex building



'Pulawska' street - the longest street in Warsaw - as far as I know it has around 20 km




coming back to the Warsaw downtown

'Plan Unii Lubelskiej' = 'Lublin Union Square'









'Szucha' Avenue

















'Trasa Lazienkowska'



'Agrykola' street - one of two remaining streets in Warsaw with original gas lamps









Polish king 'Jan III Sobieski' monument - the monument commemorates Vienna battle 1683



Palace on the Water - summer residence of 'Stanislaw August Poniatowski' - last king of Poland





Ujazdowski castle



views from the top










once again Warsaw southern downtown



'Niepodlegosci' avenue = 'Independence Avenue'

I love it

Warsaw by DocentX (2007) PART III

Warsaw 'Praga' district

Some say that 'Praga' district is Warsaw's Bronx

Warsaw’s eastern suburb, Praga, has long been regarded as off-limits to many visitors. Often painted as the bastion of the criminal underclass. The area is actually enjoying a snail-like renaissance, and as such offers visitors a combination of strange sights and sounds.

Spared from the World War II bombs that devastated the rest of the city, "Praga" has turn-of-the-last-century tenements and aging brown brick factories that are providing safe haven for actors and artists fleeing Warsaw's rising real estate prices.

For some people, Old Praga is more interesting than the Warsaw's Old Town because it is authentic.
Increasing numbers of artists, tourists and investors are putting a new face on an old district.


'Warszawa Wilenska' - modern shopping mall and train station - it used to be train station which linked Warsaw - Vilnius and St. Petersburg.



Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene - constructed between 1867 and 1869 to a design by Mikołaj Syczew, St. Mary Magdalene’s was originally built for the large congregation of Russian souls living around Jagiellońska as well as people arriving from the East at the nearby Wileńska train station. Now belonging to the independent Polish Autokephalic Orthodox Church.













some other buildings - soory for the poor quality







Sts. Michael & Florian Cathedral - big neogothic church from 1901.

















around the cathedral































Soviet War Memorial - dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who died during the ‘liberation’ of Warsaw. The Praga location follows the science of logic - this was where the Red Army halted their advance in 1944, while Nazi troops annihilated the western parts of town. It is possible that the monument will be moved soon. I personaly like the monument and in my opinion it should stay here as a piece of history.



some neglected streets











Targowa street - main street of Old "Praga" district













Zabkowska street - once slated to be demolished, has become more attractive over the past five years. Eventually renovation, as seen here on Zabkowska, will cover most of "Praga"district.













Koneser Vodka Factory - located in a complex of historically-listed buildings, the Koneser Vodka Factory has been producing the spirit since 1897.
The 5 hectare site (while retaining the old brick factory buildings), will be redeveloped and used mostly for art galleries and theatres, as well as apartments and lofts.





Brzeska street - said to be the most dangerous street in Warsaw :runaway:





















Bazar Rozyckiego - Once regarded as Warsaw’s premier bazaar, the compact Bazar Rozyckiego has seen its popularity wane since 1989. Black market trade once thrived under Nazi and communist governments, nowadays the historic 102-year-old market is a ghostly image of its former self. Once considered the place for cardigans, firearms and spurious goods.









Coming back to Targowa street



















Prague Madonnas and other religious signes - common view









Warsaw panorama as seen from Praga

Warsaw by DocentX (2007) Part IV

Warsaw

a few fresh pic from Northen downtown


Dabrowskiego square





Kredytowa street

















Ethnology Museum













'Zacheta' gallery











'Sw. Trojcy' protestant church









'Handlowy' Bank



Academy of Arts



Czackiego street



Bank 'Pekao S.A.'



















Swietokrzyska street















Ministry of Finance





Kubusia Puchatka street















Warecka street







'Powstancow Warszawy' square







Szpitalna street















Gorskiego street





Ordynacka street







Mazowiecka street - street full of clubs - very crowded every friday and saturday night

Warsaw by DocentX (2007) PART V

All photos taken last weekend


Muranow

Andersa street















monument to commemorate Poles who died on the east















New Town - Warsaw's New Town is a neighbourhood dating from the 15th century. It lies just north of the Old Town and is connected to it by ulica Freta (where Marie Curie was born), which begins at the Barbican. Like the Old Town, the New Town was systematically destroyed by the Nazis during World War II and rebuilt after the war.





















gothic church of 'Nawiedzenia NMP' from 1411, destroyed in 1944, rebuilt 1947-1966





view taras







New Town square







'Sw. Kazimierza' church - built in 1692, destroyed 1944, rebuilt 1948-52































hause where Maria Sklodowska (known as Marie Curie-Sklodowska) was born



on the left - sw. Jacek church





















Barbican - The barbican was erected in 1548 in place of an older gate to protect Nowomiejska Street. It was designed by Jan Baptist the Venetian (also known as Giovanni Battista the Venetian), an Italian Renaissance architect who lived and worked in the Mazowsze region of 16th century Poland and was instrumental in the redesign of the 14th century city walls.

During World War II, particularly the Siege of Warsaw (1939) and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the barbican was largely destroyed, as were most of the Old Town's buildings. It was rebuilt after the war, during 1952–1954, on the basis of 17th century etchings.





Old Town walls







Old Town - Warsaw's Old Town (Polish: Stare Miasto, colloquially: Starówka) is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw's most prominent tourist attractions.

The heart of the area is the Old Town Market Place, with its restaurants, cafés and shops. Surrounding streets feature medieval architecture such as the city walls, barbican and St. John's Cathedral.

Warsaw's 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 (Rynek Starego Miasta) 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.

During the Invasion of Poland (1939), much of the district was badly damaged by the German Luftwaffe, which targeted the city's residential areas and historic landmarks in a campaign of terror bombing. Following the Siege of Warsaw, parts of the Old Town were rebuilt, but immediately after the Warsaw Uprising (August-October 1944) what had been left standing was systematically blown up by the German Army. A statue commemorating the Uprising, "the Little Insurgent," now stands on the Old Town's medieval city wall.

After World War II, the Old Town was meticulously rebuilt. As many of the original bricks were reused as possible. The rubble was sifted for reusable decorative elements, which were reinserted into their original places. Bernardo Bellotto's 18th-century vedute, as well as Interbellum architecture students' drawings, were used as essential guides in the reconstruction effort.

Warsaw's Old Town has been placed on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites as "an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century."



















we are entering the Old Town square













Mermaid - The mermaid was also used as a symbol of city ownership as well as a popular Warsaw motif. The origin of the legendary figure is not fully known.













































view taras





















Old Town in 1944















The Cathedral - Katedra św. Jana (St. John's Cathedral) is one of two cathedrals in the city of Warsaw, capital of Poland, and one of the oldest churches of that city. Located in Warsaw's Old Town it is one of the Polish national mausolea and the main church of the arch-diocese of Warsaw.

Originally built in 14th century as a Brick Gothic church, it served as a coronation and burial site for numerous Dukes of Masovia. Rebuilt several times, most notably in 19th century, it was preserved until World War II as an example of English Gothic Revival. Levelled by the Germans during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, it was rebuilt after the war. It is notable that the reconstruction of the exterior was based on assumptions on how the 14th century church may have looked like and not on how it actually looked before the war.

In the crypts below the main aisle there are graves of several notable people, among them numerous Dukes of Masovia, president of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, primates August Hlond and Stefan Wyszyński, writer Henryk Sienkiewicz and the last of Polish monarchs, Stanisław August Poniatowski, who was also crowned in the cathedral.











Dukes of Masovia

















most narrow hause in Poland - it has it's own adress







































Jan Kilinski monument











Pl. Zamkowy - castle square

The Royal Castle (Polish Zamek Królewski) in Warsaw is the royal palace and official residence of the Polish monarchs. The personal offices of the king, as well as the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there until the Partitions of Poland. Between 1926 and World War II the palace was the seat of the Polish president. It is located at the Plac Zamkowy, at the entrance to the Old Town.

Partially destroyed by German bombers during the Invasion of Poland, it was heavily damaged by German bombardment and artillery fire during the Warsaw Uprising. The remnants were blown up by German engineers in September 1944 and were not removed until 1971. Reconstructions were started in the early 1970s and in July 1974 the clock on the tower began working again, on the exact same time at which it was stopped by the Luftwaffe bombardment. Nowadays it is used as a branch of the National Museum and for ceremonial purposes. During the Siege of Warsaw in 1939 many of the works of art from the castle were transferred to several basements around Warsaw and hidden thus from German authorities they survived the war and were put on exhibition in their original place.













Zygmunt's Column or Sigismund's Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), erected in 1644, is one of Warsaw's most famous landmarks and one of the oldest secular monuments in northern Europe. The column and statue commemorate King Zygmunt III Waza, who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from Kraków to Warsaw.

Erected between 1643 and 1644, the column was constructed on the orders of Zygmunt's son and successor, King Władysław IV. It was designed by the Italian-born architect Konstanty Tencalli and the sculptor Clemente Molli, and cast by Daniel Tym.

On September 1, 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, the monument was demolished by the Germans, and its bronze statue was badly damaged. After the war the statue was repaired, and in 1949 it was set up on a new column, a couple of meters from the original site. The original broken pieces of the column can still be seen lying next to the Royal Castle.

Notwithstanding the large cross that Zygmunt III's statue carries, the statue is regarded as the first secular figure to be placed atop a column in northern Europe.

Warsaw by DocentX (new photos)

Warsaw - Wola district (western part of the city) - photos from 2007 !

We are getting off at Kasprzaka street and passing office buildings









in a distance we can see Warsaw Trade Tower and Museum of Warsaw Uprising



Museum of Warsaw Uprising 1944 also called The Warsaw Rising Museum.

It was constructed a few years ago and it's the most modern museum in Poland.

The Warsaw Uprising 1944 was the largest single operation organized and executed by a partisan organization in WWII. It lasted two months, and when it was over, 200,000 people were dead, and the entire city was in ruins.

"In August 1944, Warsaw appeared to present the last major obstacle to the Soviet army's triumphant march from Moscow to Berlin. When the Wehrmacht was pushed bach to the Vistula River, the people of Warsaw believed that liberation was at hand. So, too, did the Western leaders. The Polish Resistance poured forty thousand (40,000) armed fighters into the streets to drive out the hated Germans, but Stalin condemned the Rising as a criminal adventure and refused to cooperate. The Wehrmacht was given time to regroup, and Hitler ordered the city and its inhabitants to be utterly destroyed.

For sixty-three days, the Resistance battled the SS and Wehrmacht in the cellars and sewers. Tens of thousands of defenseless civilians were slaughtered week after week. One by one, the city's districts were reduced to rubble as Soviet troops watched from across the river. Poland's Western allies expressed regret, but decided that there was little to be done. The sacrifice was in vain. Hitler's orders were executed. Poland was not allowed to be governed by Poles." by Norman Davies

NOTE: The Warsaw Uprising in 1944 is not Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.











photos from the Warsaw Uprising 1944







Museum's view tower - I will climb up there in a moment









we are getting inside the museum













inside, among other things, we can find this huge plane





views from the museum tower















we came from that direction



Chlodna street - in a couple of years this view will probably change dramaticaly as new const are planned





Zelazna street



we are following the Chlodna street towards John Paul II Avenue (Al. Jana Pawla II)



Boromeusza church

















fire brigade building



Mirowska hall



Atrium office buildings complex











Westin hotel









PZU tower



Deloitte House office building const site and Rondo 1 in a distance - (2007)





in July 2008 the construction is far more advanced and looks like this



we are getting back to 2007 - we are heading United Nations Roundabound (Rondo ONZ) and we can see Rondo 1





Rondo ONZ (United Nations Roundabound)







John Paul II Avenue (Aleje Jana Pawla II)





















we are going at the back of the building and...



...we are seeing sth extraterrestrial...



UFO in Warsaw :banana:











Al. Jana Pawla II (John Paul II Avenue) and Al. Solidarnosci (Solidarity Avenue) crossing











view on Solidarity Avenue towards Bankowy square (Bank square)















we are changing our localization - Krasinskich square - Warsaw Uprising 1944 monument

Warsaw by DocentX (new photos) PART II

Photos taken in July 2008

'Al. Jerozolimskie' street

New trams





















'Chmielna' street





'Nowy Swiat' street













'Swietkorzyska' street





'Krakowskie Przedmiescie' street



































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Castle square

Beautiful photos, Docentkay:
With each passing day, Warsaw is looking better & better:yes:

I see new PESA trams have started arriving...how many have been ordered?