The Royal Route � � � � � � � � � � �

The Royal Route

Holiday lights line the Royal Route on ul. Nowy Świat. | Photo by Ewelina Lach.

Warsaw’s famed ‘Royal Route’ links the city’s three Royal residences, starting from the Royal Castle (p�25) on Plac Zamkowy, via Łazienki Park’s Palace on the Island (p�36), en route to Wilanów Palace (p�38) in the district of the same name� Officially covering 11km in length, this main artery through the city takes in a great many of Warsaw’s historical buildings, parks and monuments along the way, making a trip down at least part of the ‘path of the kings’ - be it on foot, by bike, or motorised scooter - a fine opportunity to see the heart and soul of the capital�

WALKING TOUR

In lieu of the full 11km traverse, this walking tour picks up at the end of the Old Town Walking Tour (p�24) on Plac Zamkowy and guides you gently down Warsaw’s two main high streets - ul. Krakowskie Przedmiejście and ul. Nowy Świat - to the ironic/iconic Palm Tree fittingly at the intersection of Al. Jerozolimskie (Jerusalem Street)� An easy 2km, along the way or very nearby you’ll find many wonderful restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, so use the rest of our guide to plan your pit stops� In the ‘Further On’ section at the end of the tour (p�34) you’ll find info on how to continue on the Royal Route to Łazienki and Wilanów (while resting your feet), should you choose to� 1 St. Anne’s Church

St Anne’s survived WWII with only a collapsed roof, but what the Nazis failed to destroy was nearly demolished in 1949 when the careless construction of the Trasa W-Z tunnel nearby led to several landslides and huge cracks in the floor of the church, which very nearly crashed to the ground� It took a team of 400 people two weeks of tireless work to stabilise the building and shore up the foundations� Not the first time St Anne’s had survived vicious conflict to find disaster around the corner, it escaped destruction during the war with Sweden (1650-1655) only to be gutted by fire two years later, apparently the victim of an arson attack� The classicist façade dates from 1788 and is the design of the royal architect Piotr Aigner� The interior holds even more classicist and rococo details� The viewing tower is one of the best in Warsaw and worth the 147step climb�

One other point of interest concerns a simple wooden cross you will see inside� These two planks of wood became the focus of a battle that threatened to divide the country in the summer of 2010� To learn more about the Presidential Cross, head online: iyp.me/71061�QG-4, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 68, MRatusz Arsenał, tel. (+48) 22 826 89 91, www.swanna. waw.pl. Open 09:00-15:00; Sun 10:00-19:00.