Notwithstanding the terms of surrender, Nazis destroyed over 85% of Warsaw. Out of almost 1,000 hist

Warsaw [1] (Polish: Warszawa ) is the capital of Poland and, with 1.7 million inhabitants, its largest city. It is located travel on your own in europe on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła ), roughly equidistant (350 km, 217 mi) from both the Baltic Sea ( Bałtyk ) in the north and the Carpathian Mountains travel on your own in europe ( Karpaty ) in the south.
Centrum ( Śródmieście , Wola , Mokotów , Żoliborz , Ochota , Praga Północ , Praga Południe ) The Centrum area, which also comprises the famous Warsaw Old Town. It's made up of six diverse districts and is a mixture of industrial areas and prestigious residential neighborhoods. It will be here that most travelers will spend their time in Warsaw, as most major attractions and hotels are primarily travel on your own in europe located in Śródmieście, Wola, and Mokotów.
Southern Warsaw ( Ursynów , Wilanów travel on your own in europe ) The southern terminal of the Royal Route, Wilanów is home to the Wilanów Palace. Ursynów is home to the historic Natolin park and nature reserve, which hosts the College of Europe Natolin in the Potocki Palace. The area saw intense activity travel on your own in europe on the part of the Polish Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising.
The medieval capital of Poland was the southern city of Krakow, but Warsaw has been the capital of the country since 1596, and has grown to become Poland's travel on your own in europe largest city and the nation's urban and commercial center. travel on your own in europe Completely destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, the city managed to lift itself from the ashes. Today, almost every building in Warsaw dates to the postwar era - with what little remains of the old structures travel on your own in europe being confined largely to the restored districts of Stare Miasto (the 'old city') and Nowe Miasto ('new city'), as well as selected monuments and cemeteries.
In 1939 the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany cooperated in the invasion and occupation of Poland only to strike travel on your own in europe against one another in 1941. A thriving European capital, Warsaw was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1939, and was the scene of two major uprisings:
After five years under Nazi occupation, in 1944 the tide of war started to turn against the Third Reich. Soviet forces were approaching from the East, and so the leaders of Polish resistance movement confronted travel on your own in europe the choice of either liberating the capital or allowing for dubious Soviet 'liberation'.
The Uprising formally began on August 1, 1944 at 5PM. Fighting continued until October 5, 1944 when the Home Army and its allied organizations surrendered. In the first days of fighting, travel on your own in europe Nazis murdered about 60,000 civilians, including women and children. In total, the Uprising claimed lives of 180,000 civilians, and 18,000 insurgents. Polish fighters were outnumbered and outgunned as they hardly received any support from the Allies(the Soviet travel on your own in europe Union denied them airfields on the territories it controlled). The Soviet travel on your own in europe Union purposely allowed the Warsaw Uprising to fail.
Notwithstanding the terms of surrender, Nazis destroyed over 85% of Warsaw. Out of almost 1,000 historically and culturally important buildings only 64 survived. Polish soldiers were sent to concentration camps. Some of Warsaw's civilians were sent to concentration camps, others to Germany for forced labor or to different Polish cities. Once the entire city was turned into ashes, its inhabitants killed, its leaders killed or imprisoned, Soviet forces entered the city to establish a puppet government that would control postwar Poland travel on your own in europe for the next 50 years.
The building at Nowy Świat 6/12 served as the headquarters for the Central Committee of the Polish Communist party until 1991 when some creative anti-communists decided to make the Communist Headquarters the home for the Warsaw Stock Exchange and The Banking Finance Center. The Warsaw Stock Exchange has since moved to the building directly behind the Communist HQ, but the irony remains.
The city was rebuilt in the immediate aftermath of the war, and the monolithic gray apartment blocks that characterize travel on your own in europe much of the city (especially its outer areas) are a relic of the Stalinist utilitarianism that dominated the rebuilding efforts. A typical travel on your own in europe example of the Stalinist architecture is the monolithic Palace of Culture travel on your own in europe (palac kultury), with its clocktower, which remains travel on your own in europe Warsaw's travel on your own in europe tallest building.
Since the fall of communism in 1989, Warsaw has been developing much more rapidly than Poland as a whole. You wouldn't recognize the city if you saw it ten years ago, and more changes are constantly taking place. Warsaw has long been the easiest place in Poland to find employment, and for this reason many of the Polish inhabitants of the city are first or second generation, originating from all over the country.
Even though much of Warsaw seems to imitate western cities, there are many peculiarities to be found here that you will not find in western capitals. Examples include the communist-era travel on your own in europe bar mleczny (lit. 'milk bar') that remain in operation (essentially cheap cafeterias for no-frills, working-class traditional Polish dining, which have remained incredibly popular in the face of westernization). Europe's largest outdoor marketplace, once located around the old stadium, has disappeared as the new National travel on your own in europe Stadium has arisen for the Euro 2012 football championships.
Warsaw travel on your own in europe has a continental climate, with warm summers, crisp, sunny autumns and cold winters. Summers can vary from mild to quite hot. Travellers should bring light, summer clothes for the day, and an extra jacket for evenings, as they can sometimes get a little chilly. The main tourist travel on your own in europe season travel on your own in europe of Warsaw falls between May and September, from the middle of spring until the beginning of autumn, when the climate is at its most favourable. Although rainfall is generally evenly spread throughout the year, July does tend to be the wettest month according to weather statistics. Travellers would best be advised to bring heavy, water-resistant shoes with them when travelling in Warsaw in late autumn to early spring. The weather in winter varies, but it can get cold and very snowy. From December to March, the climate is at its coldest and overnight frosty travel on your own in europe weather becomes commonplace, along with some snow. The coolest months are January and February with temperatures falling a couple of degrees below zero.
The Warsaw Convention Bureau [2] is the official tourist information agency in Warsaw and can provide visitors with information regarding hotels, attractions, and events. They also have maps for travelers. Unfortunately, the bureau's website isn't well designed and doesn't provide all that great of information, though, it can be helpful. They operate three locations in Warsaw.
There are a few other organizations that are useful when planning or looking for information about a trip to Warsaw. The City of Warsaw [3] has a lot of useful information on its website and would be a good place to get some information. Destination Warsaw travel on your own in europe [4] has some useful information, but seems to trump up its members' products, restaurants, and services over others. Its main goal is the promotion of Warsaw as a destination abroad. The best source of practical tips, contacts, and current event information is the Warsaw Insider [5] , available at every concierge, travel on your own in europe tourits information and larger newsagents'; the Warsaw Voice [6] , an English language weekly newspaper, also maintains a good calendar of events [7] on its website.
A wise investment may be the Warsaw Tourist Card [8] , which can either be purchased for a 24 hour period or three days. The card will get you into museums for free or for a discount. It also doubles as a ticket for public transportation in Warsaw. You may also be able to get discounts at galleries, sports facilities, shops, restaurants, and discounted tours, car rentals, or accommodation. The card can be purchased at the tourist agency's offices around the city, some hotels, and a few other locations.
The blue section contains the name of the street ("Odyńca"). The words above complement the name to its full, official form ("Ulica Antoniego E. Odyńca" stands for "Antoni E. Odyniec's Street"). Numbers say that houses in this block will be odd-numbered from 51 to 55. The red section contains the name of the neighborhood or subdistrict travel on your own in europe ("Wierzbno" is a neighborhood in the Mokotów travel on your own in europe district).
As is the case with most major cities, Warsaw is situated on a river. The river's name is Vistula travel on your own in europe (Polish: Wisła ) and it crosses the city on a north-south axis, dividing it into two parts, usually referred to as the left bank (Polish: lewy brzeg adj. lewobrzeżna Warszawa ) and the right bank (Polish: prawy brzeg adj. prawobrzeżna Warszawa ).
Historically, the right bank was the first one to become populated, during the 9th or 10th century. However, the present city's central district, called travel on your own in europe Śródmieście lies on the left bank. The Old Town is fully contained travel on your own in europe within the borders of the city center.
The central point of the city is located at the intersection of Al. Jerozolimskie and ul. Marszałkowska, near the entrance to the Metro Centrum subway station. travel on your own in europe It is good to know that the Palace of Culture is a landmark visible from almost any location in Warsaw. Should you ever get lost in the city, just walk toward the Palace of Culture and Science.
Warsaw travel on your own in europe (all airports code: WRW ) is served travel on your own in europe by a total of two airports: Chopin Airport ( IATA : WAW ) (also known as 'Okecie') for major airlines. Modlin Airport ( IATA : WMI ) was opened travel on your own in europe in July 2012 and it handles the low cost traffic. Łódź Airport ( IATA : LCJ ) is also conveniently accessible from Warsaw.
Chopin Airport [9] ( IATA : WAW , ICAO : EPWA ) is located in the area of Okęcie in Włochy , around 10 km south the city centre. For many years the airport used to be called just Okęcie , but this reportedly caused confusion and it was renamed.
N.B. Local people may use the name Okęcie travel on your own in europe to refer either travel on your own in europe to the airport, or to the residential area and local transportation terminal P+R Al. Krakowska which is on the other end of the airfield. Always ask for the airport ( lotnisko travel on your own in europe in Polish) to avoid confusion.
There are two terminal buildings, unt