You cannot fall in love in this city from the first sight. It looks like everything is under construction since it was totally destroyed during The Second World War. And for sure you will get stuck in traffic jam. But let me tell you a story, let me explain why is that so… Maybe if you understand the city, you will be enchanted.It is hard to describe the capital of Poland in one short post because you can not touch upon all aspects of its history and society due to its complexity, so do not expect me to go into details.Well… I am not going to show you places you can find in tourist guides or on Wikipedia either. Go for it yourself and visit the most recommended sight seeings, but… be conscious that this is not the spirit of Warszawa (read Warshawa). The real spirit is where old-styled buildings stand next to growing sky scrapers. Where ugliness is mixed with modernity and luxury. Where rust is displayed on the background of glossiness. Where paupers sitting on the pavement are being passed by vigorous businessmen. This is Warszawa. The city I love.
Why is that so? You have to be aware that Warsaw was bombed by German bombers during The Second World War. After the war only the oldest part was rebuilt in the shape as it was before. The architecture of Old Town was known thank to paintings collected by the last king of Polish Kingdom. Yes… We were a kingdom years ago…
The rest of the city was rebuilt according to socialist realism. Heavy and ugly constructions were raised on the ashes of the past. More and more young people from the province were coming to Warszawa to rebuild it, to find job, to educate or to start a new life.
Nowadays you can have an impression that the city is still 'under construction’. Post soviet buildings are being erased from the city-scape and replaced by sky-scrapers or glass-metal constructions. People still move to Warsaw due to better job opportunities and education, so when you ask somebody 'where are you from’ you shall not expect that s/he will say 'from here’.
You have to look at the city from the perspective of its history – that’s for sure. Some districts are unique not only because you can find it beautiful. No, it’s quite opposite. In example… Old and ruined houses in Jewish Ghetto were witnesses of Jewish Raise during the war. Metal stripe built in the pavement is reminding that here were ghetto walls, which separated two different worlds from each other and now you can just cross it by one step. Just take a look…
