Sightseeing | Old Town Walking Tour
The Old Town
The Barbican (p.27) - gateway between the Old and New Town. | Photo: krivinis, AdobeStock
A labyrinth of winding cobblestone streets, ornate tenement facades and picturesque plazas, it’s easy to understand why the Old Town is Warsaw’s top tourist area. A window into the ‘once-upon-a-time’ of Warsaw’s golden days when it was one of Europe’s architectural pearls, Warsaw’s Old Town was actually entirely rebuilt after WWII. In the devastating aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 (p.54), 85% of Warsaw’s left-bank lay in ruin and half of its population had perished. The Old Town was hit with particular Nazi efficiency, and by the time the Red Army rolled across the river it was little more than a smouldering wasteland. To their credit the Capital Reconstruction Bureau immediately started carefully reconstructing the historic centre using pre-war sketches, paintings and photographs - a painstaking process that would last until 1962. Although what you see in Warsaw’s Old Town today is not strictly ‘original’ per say, the district is a stunning testament of the city’s rise from the ruins of WWII and of Varsovians’ great pride in their city. 24
Walking Tour IYP’s Old Town Walking Tour leads you in and around the oldest part of the city, showing you its most important and interesting points, beginning and ending near Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) - the traditional entrance to the district. The prescribed route covers only about 1.5km. If you’re only interested in the exercise, it could take less than 30mins, but we reckon for most, an exploration of Warsaw’s Old Town will take several hours ‘if done correctly’ - that is, with a couple of short culture, food and coffee/beer breaks. If you have only one day in Warsaw, this is how you should spend it. Make sure you’ve got a full charge on your smartphone or camera, some comfy shoes and off you go.
Full contents online: warsaw.inyourpocket.com
