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In the latter half of 2018, I was focusing my travels a lot on Eastern Europe. I was particularly interested in countries that I had not yet visited. Despite having lived in relative proximity to Poland for most of my life, I had yet to set foot in the country.
Warsaw is one of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. It is a city that has a lot of history closely tied to its identity. The Polish capital was relatively high on my to-do list. Once I realized that November 2018 would be the 100-year-anniversary of Polish independence after the First World War, I specifically requested to have that weekend off. It was granted to me, and off to Warsaw I went.
Friday, November 9th
My flight from Zurich with SWISS, operated by Edelweiss, was delayed due to foggy weather in Warsaw. We arrived an hour late. I first tried to use the train from the airport to the city. However, the train station was closed for the weekend to enable renovations. Then I walked back to the front of the terminal building. I missed the bus I was supposed to take by just a minute, so I took an Uber towards my Airbnb instead.
The apartment proved a bit difficult to find. It was one of several apartment buildings clustered together. The particular building had a fence around it, but no house number written anywhere, unlike every other building. Once I finally determined which building my Airbnb must be located in, I got the gate and the door open using a pair of codes the owner provided. At least I knew I was in the right place.
I found the right apartment and got the keys out of a small key box. However, it took a few minutes to work the door open. The key wouldn’t turn unless you pulled the door very hard towards yourself. Finally I got it open.
I left my stuff behind in the apartment and walked towards the Old Town for dinner. It was quite late already due to the delayed flight, close to 10 PM. The restaurant I had picked out first was closing at that time. I searched for another restaurant serving Polish food. Let’s face it, I wasn’t in Warsaw to eat pizza or burgers, which I could have easily gotten somewhere.
Eventually, after about 5-10 minutes I found a small restaurant that looked like an above-average sized hole-in-the-wall. It turned out to be part of a chain. Regardless, it was the best shot at Polish food for that time of night. Their specialty was pierogi dumplings, so that’s exactly what I ordered. These dumplings are one of the staples of traditional Polish cuisine.
After dinner, I returned to my apartment to shower and freshen up, before going out to explore Warsaw’s nightlife on a Friday night.
SATURDAY, November 10th
Slept in a little bit, then went to a nearby Starbucks to get some breakfast. My intention was for the Museum of Independence to be my first sightseeing stop. After having walked around the building, it was clear that it was completely closed for maintenance. I then decided to take the tram to nearby Pawiak Prison Museum.
There’s very little left of what used to be the Pawiak Prison. Original parts of one underground hallway, and half of the gate survived. The Nazis blew up the prison when Hitler ordered Warsaw to be razed to the ground in 1944, following an armed uprising. The Pawiak Prison Museum showcases the history of the prison, the Polish resistance, and Nazi terrors.
The clothing of a concentration camp inmate.
Outside of the museum is a tree that is covered in small tombstone-like plaques for inmates who died at the hands of the Nazis in the 1940s.
The museum exhibit itself features some rather graphic images of the terrors which Poland experienced during Nazi German occupation. Several of the former cells, which have been well-preserved, now have memorials to the inmates who perished here, or small exhibits about the prison history. One room displays medical equipment that was used at least partially to conduct experiments on prisoners.
Pawiak Prison was built long before Poland was invaded by the Nazis. The Nazi Germans used the facilities to house political prisoners, many of whom were sent to extermination camps such as Auschwitz. There’s an original death certificate from a former prisoner in one of the exhibit rooms.
By the time I had finished at Pawiak, the Neon Museum was open. I got on the metro to cross the Vistula River, then walked to the museum.
What sounds like it might be a museum for science or abstract art is actually an interesting, but rather small museum. All that you’ll find at the Neon Museum are neon signs that were used around the Polish People’s Republic. That was the name of communist Poland between 1947 and 1989.
Most of the signs are from former department stores, restaurants or hotels. Not only is the history behind the signs interesting, but the font and design of the neon lights are also quite peculiar compared to what you’d see on the street today.
Most of the signs have a description or photo from their former location. Several of the signs still work too!
I walked towards a nearby tram stop, not far from the metro. From there I took a tram back to the western side of the river and downtown Warsaw. I got off and walked towards a Polish restaurant, called Dawne Smaki, which I had sought out for lunch. On the way there I passed the Nikolaus Copernicus Monument, dedicated to the legendary Polish scientist.
For lunch, I ordered wild boar, an exquisite, regional specialty.
The next stop was the Mausoleum of Struggle & Martyrdom, housed inside a building used by Gestapo for interrogations during World War II. There are original cells used for inmates who were awaiting interrogations, sometimes for days, while being confined to rows of wooden chairs in one room together. Also on display are torture instruments used by the Nazi German secret police on local political prisoners.
The most chilling part of the Mausoleum of Struggle & Martyrdom is the former prison cells, which have been preserved with original inscriptions from prisoners on the walls.
One cell, which can’t be entered, has a bullet hole clearly visible through an enlarged peephole.
Next up I wanted to see the Citadel and its Block X Museum. The Citadel was on the other side of central Warsaw, much further north. I took an Uber there to save some time. Once I arrived it turned out the museum was closing soon, and they didn’t let more visitors enter.
Instead, I walked around the Citadel a little bit. After that, I took a long walk back downtown, through several parks just south of the Citadel.
I had wanted to see the Marie Curie Museum also. It was closed for the rest of my time in Warsaw, due to Poland’s Independence Day holiday. My walk continued towards the Old Town area, where I went inside the Warsaw Museum. The museum was still open for a few hours. The Warsaw Museum had vast exhibits detailing the rise and fall of Warsaw, particularly throughout the last couple of centuries.
The city’s population changed drastically thanks to World War II. It took until 1970 before the population of Warsaw was back at the same level as before the war broke out.
The Warsaw Museum had a great collection of paintings showing different areas of the city from the 18th and 19th centuries. Some photographs also show the city during World War I and II, with the latter being the most prominent. One of the most incredible photographs depicts a German bomb exploding on top of what used to be an insurance office building. During the Warsaw Rising it became one of the bases for the Polish insurgents.
I briefly left the museum to stop by the nearby Tourist Office before it closed. It was located just across the Old Town Square. I usually do most of my research from home. However, I couldn’t find any trustworthy information for the Independence Day celebrations online. I needed to double-check the schedule of events for Sunday, the next day. Having gotten some nice tips and my questions answered, I walked back across the square to re-enter the Warsaw Museum to finish touring it.
The Warsaw Museum has a long range of random artifacts on display as well. This includes silverware made for noble families with Polish symbols on them, dating from the early 20th century.
One of the city’s former symbols, the Warsaw Mermaid, is also on display. One 19th-century statue is preserved within the museum.
Having done the city museum, I still had time to fit in one more museum. I walked south towards the Chopin Museum to get to that before it closed. On the way, I passed a large ceremony at Piłsudski Square. It was part of the Independence Day events.
A ceremony was held at the square’s monuments. The monuments are dedicated to the victims of the Polish Air Force Tupolev 154 that crashed near Smolensk, Russia in 2010.
It was a much more somber atmosphere on the night before Poland’s centennial would be celebrated the next day. I took a break at the square to see some of the ceremony, then continued to the Chopin Museum.
The museum is dedicated to the life of composer Frédéric Chopin, one of Poland’s most famous people historically. He wrote music primarily for solo piano.
Chopin’s last piano, which he used up until his death in 1849, is on display at the museum.
Perhaps one of the more macabre items you’ll find in a music museum is a preserved lock of Chopin’s hair, taken after he passed away. The visit to the museum concludes in an area where there are multiple listening stations. Here you can listen to some of Chopin’s works, as well as some adjusted versions made by different artists.
Classical music isn’t my personal favorite. However, I can imagine that those who have a passion for classical music would particularly enjoy this feature.
I returned north towards the Old Town in the search for dinner. As I passed Piłsudski Square, the ceremony was still ongoing, so I stopped to witness more of it. This time, there was a wreath-laying in front of the memorials as part of the ceremony, as well as some speeches.
Obviously, I had arrived late, so I was standing quite far in the back. A couple of big-screen displays allowed me to see what was going on. The ceremony was also visited by some demonstrators who held banners. Most of these groups were encircled by police officers who kept them separate.
The 2010 plane crash in Smolensk, Russia has been a controversial issue. A Polish delegation consisting of the President, former state leaders, politicians and relatives of victims of the Katyn Massacre, where Soviets murdered Polish officers and intelligentsia, were on their way to Smolensk. They planned to take part in a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the massacre, where 22,000 Poles were killed. None of the passengers survived the plane crash.
Although the Russian and Polish investigators both agreed that the crash was caused by pilot error, some conspiracy theorists believe that it was an assassination against then Polish President Lech Kaczyński, who died in the crash. After the ceremony had ended, I saw a few signs alluding to this conspiracy theory.
For dinner I went to a Polish restaurant called Polka, which I had actually first sought out the night before. It was a slightly upscale restaurant, but the experience was tainted by incredibly slow service. The food itself was quite good though.
After a stop back at my Airbnb, I went back out to experience Warsaw’s nightlife once again.
SUNDAY, November 11th
Started my day by walking around the neighborhood close to the apartment. I got some breakfast in a nearby coffee shop. Then I walked towards the monument to the Warsaw Rising. It was an uprising occurring over the summer of 1944, where the Polish underground resistance organized themselves and tried to wrestle Warsaw from German control.
The Warsaw Rising was timed to happen at the same time as Nazi German retreats from the advancing Soviet Red Army. However, the Soviets stopped on the Eastern Front. This allowed the Germans to concentrate their forces against the Polish Home Army. The uprising was unsuccessful.
After seeing the monument I went inside the Field Cathedral for the Polish Army, just across the street. It has a beautiful interior thanks to stained glass windows and one chapel which features golden walls.
As the name suggests, the cathedral is dedicated to the Polish Military, and there are symbols alluding to this outside. Inside are several plaques commemorating fallen Polish soldiers.
I continued walking northwest and passed the Ghetto Heroes Monument next. It is dedicated to Jewish freedom fighters who fought against the Nazi German occupiers from within the inhumane, densely-populated Warsaw Jewish Ghetto in the city center.
The monument is just outside the Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, which I would visit the next day.
I also walked past the Umschlagplatz, which today looks like an ordinary patch of green grass in a residential area. The German name “Umschlagplatz” translates to transfer square or reloading point. The name alludes to the grim history of this very street corner.
It was here that most of the Polish Jews from the Warsaw area were brought to, before being transferred onto trains waiting by the reloading point to take them straight to concentration camps. Over 300,000 Jews passed through the Umschlagplatz between 1942 and 1943 alone. There’s a small memorial on the street corner in their memory.
After the Umschlagplatz I ordered an Uber to the Block X Museum at the Citadel north of the city center. Due to Independence Day celebrations, one road was blocked, so the driver had to take a slight detour. Just a couple of minutes after I got in, the car was hit. It wasn’t too bad, we had waited for someone to reverse from a driveway onto the street. They reversed into the right front wheel. The driver canceled the trip. He had to stay behind, swap insurance details and wait for a tow truck. I ordered a new Uber, waited a bit, and finally was on the way again.
The Block X Museum is a museum housed in an infamous former prison block of the Russian-built Citadel. During the time of the Russian Empire, a lot of Polish nationalists and political prisoners were imprisoned and tortured at Block X. Some of the prisoners were deported to labor camps in Russia. The museum explains Polish resistance against Russian occupation in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Poland became independent after World War I.
Several of the former cells have been preserved in a somewhat original appearance. There are memorials inside the specific cells where prominent Polish separatists were imprisoned. There are also some torture instruments and shackles used at the prison on display.
After having visited the Block X Museum, I decided with various roadblocks in downtown Warsaw to just walk through the Old Town Square, and along one of the main streets. Getting an Uber would have only taken me a fraction of the trip. The public transport was temporarily suspended in parts of the city center. Add in the fact that the Citadel is in a part of the city that isn’t covered by the metro or much else in terms of public transport. I didn’t have many alternatives.
It was a long walk, almost a full hour, towards the intersection from which I planned to watch the Independence Day military parade. The Tourist Office had specifically mentioned that the parade would pass through the intersection of Nowy Świat and al. Jerozolimskie, so I figured it would be one of the best spots for seeing the parade. Because I was short on time, I just picked up a sandwich from a nearby Subway along the way for lunch.
As I got closer to the parade route, there were more and more people. Everything was decorated in Polish flags. There was a large crowd of locals along the route, many of them carrying Polish flags themselves. There were many police officers as well. I managed to sneak through most of the crowd to a great position just behind a row of soldiers working as security.
The parade was just about to begin as I arrived. I actually thought that I was a bit late. However, the parade didn’t start at the time I was told by the tourist office. The event seemed somewhat delayed, but it was worth the wait. First up was a large group of various military vehicles, armored cars, tanks, and mobile rocket launchers. Some of these groups were escorted by special units of the Polish Army.
This was followed by crowds of locals walking with flags while singing what I assume to be the national anthem.
In between some of these groups were military units marching in formation. They were followed by an even larger crowd of civilians carrying Polish flags and banners.
Immediately following the end of the official parade, I went to the Palace of Culture & Science, a couple of blocks to the west. The PKiN, as it is abbreviated in Polish, is an old Stalinist behemoth. The PKiN was built in 1955 as a “gift of friendship” from the Soviet Union.
It is the tallest building in Poland with its 237m/778ft tall tower. Combined with the theatres, cinemas, museums and congress halls surrounding the tower itself, it is the largest building complex in Poland as well.
I went to PKiN specifically for the observation deck. My intention was to get up there before it got too dark.
There was some fog limiting the visibility in the distance. Despite this, there was still a good view from the observation platform. What dominated the view was a right-wing extremist parade, down below on the nearby street corner. It was an unofficial Independence Day “parade” arranged by Polish nationalists. Some of them had lit off roman candle fireworks. Even from the observation deck, you could hear the crowd shouting political slogans.
After I exited the building, the PKiN’s tower was lit up in the red and white colors of the Polish flag.
Next I walked through the Saxon Gardens, past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with lots of wreaths. It is found near the adjacent monuments at Piłsudski Square, which I passed for the ceremony the night before.
I realized on my way that the otherwise closed Presidential Palace was open for Poland’s national day. There were several hours to spare before it closed. The Royal Castle was next on my list, so I walked past the Presidential Palace for now.
The Royal Castle was actually closed because of the holiday. It was rented out to a private event, which seemingly included diplomats and officials, with an invite-only guest list.
I turned around and walked back to the Presidential Palace. The palace was open to everyone who wanted a look at a special exhibit inside a few of its rooms. It was not only for locals, foreigners were also welcome. You could just queue up, and the waiting was just over 15 minutes. Considering that this was a one-time opportunity, I consider that relatively short.
Only a few, select rooms were open to the public for exhibits displaying mainly Presidential medals, stamps and documents.
The Polish Constitution from April 1935.
Some of the medals and decorations were some of the most prestigious within Poland. The visit wasn’t long, but it was a unique experience. It was particularly nice to see many locals excited to have a look inside the Presidential Palace. Some of them happily lined up to write their names in the guest book.
My next point of interest was a synagogue close to the city center. It turned out to be closed early for the evening. By then it was anyway time to head towards the riverside for a fireworks display. I found a great spot by the river, beside the Copernicus Science Centre. It was just across from where the fireworks would be set off from boats on the river.
An initial light display was a prelude followed by a 15-minute absolute crazy, massive fireworks display. I don’t recall seeing that many fireworks going off simultaneously.
The entire sky was covered in vibrant colors. There were constantly fireworks and rockets exploding all over, not to mention the amount of smoke.
As the fireworks display carried on, the smoke became essentially a white blanket across the night sky. The smoke made for a perfect backdrop behind all the bright colors exploding in front of it. It provided a lot of surreal photos.
It was evident that Poland was proud to celebrate its 100-year anniversary of regaining independence in 1918. No expenses were spared for the fireworks show. The fireworks display was jaw-dropping, perhaps in part thanks to the fact that I was watching it all from the front row by the riverside.
After the fireworks were over, a relative peace had returned to the riverside. I walked to the Old Town area for a late dinner inside a Polish beer hall. Usually Sunday nights aren’t the busiest. On that night there was a line outside the restaurant still at 9 PM, thanks to the holiday.
Once I finally made it inside, I ordered a traditional borscht soup followed by kielbasa sausages as the main course, a local Polish speciality.
After a nice dinner I returned to my apartment by foot. The Airbnb I stayed at wasn’t too far from the Old Town.
MONDAY, November 12th
After getting breakfast, I hopped on the metro to go west to the Warsaw Rising Museum. It’s a large and fascinating museum devoted to the Polish resistance against Nazi German occupation. The museum takes a chronological look at how living conditions worsened for Poles during the occupation. In terms of food rations and living space, there was a distinction between Jews in the cramped Ghettos, and non-Jewish Poles living in the rest of the cities.
Original Nazi posters listing Poles who were executed or arrested for actions against the Nazi Germany forces.
The numerous executions and deportations into concentration camps is a recurring theme. The museum details how resistance groups formed in secret, and conducted sabotage attacks and espionage.
Later on, several groups organized themselves into what culminated with the Warsaw Rising in late 1944.
Armbands worn by different members of the Polish underground resistance.
The Poles were hoping to get assistance from the advancing Red Army. However, the Soviets halted their advance on the city, leaving the Poles to fend for themselves against the Germans who were still in Warsaw. Apart from Allied airlifts that brought supplies and ammunition, the Poles received no outside help.
Fighting dragged on for months, but eventually the Polish Home Army had to surrender. The Nazi Germans decided to destroy the city in retaliation, and the majority of Warsaw was reduced to rubble. The museum does a great job of honoring the memory of the insurgents as well as victims. Each of their names are written on the outside walls of the museum.
I spent several hours at the museum, because it featured an incredible amount of original documents and photos. One of the more notable items on display is a replica however. It depicts a “Kubus” armored vehicle that was made by a Polish mechanic on top of a Chevrolet truck.
After having spent most of my morning at the Warsaw Rising Museum, I got back on metro to head north to the Museum of History of Polish Jews. To save time, I simply picked up a tortilla wrap and a hot dog for lunch at the subway station.
The exhibits at the Museum of History of Polish Jews spanned a very vast collection of information and objects. Unlike other museums of Jewish history that have a focus on Jews during World War II, the museum covered the entire existance of Jews in Central Europe. The storyline in the exhibits begin with their roots thousands of years ago.
The persecution of Jews throughout Europe during the Middle Ages was also covered in great detail. The museum explains how a lot of Jewish communities migrated to Poland. They would often be confined to so-called Jewish Quarters in the larger cities. One such example in Poznan is highlighted below.
They were often taxed significantly higher than other demographic groups. During some periods of time, they were tolerated, or enjoyed some limited freedoms. Poland was home to a large portion of Europe’s Jewish population during the Medieval times.
The creation of Jewish media and cultural identities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries despite mass immigration overseas, is an interesting part of the exhibit. Unfortunately it leads into the chapter of the 1930s and 1940s. These decades were dominated by the persecution, deportations, torture and killings of Polish Jews at the hands of Nazi Germany during their occupation in Poland.
There are numerous pictures from within the ghettoes, particularly the Warsaw Ghetto, that accompany the stories of their former Jewish residents.
Armband worn by a Jewish police officer working within the Jewish Ghetto.
During the first few years of occupation, Nazi Germany mostly confined Jews in cramped ghettoes in the larger cities. The ghettoes were inhumanely overcrowded, and sealed off from the rest of the cities.
Concentration camps took on a more and more significant role in 1942, and Jews were deported in increasing numbers. The recorded number of daily deportees over the course of several months is written on a wall inside the museum.
There are also plenty of pictures from inside the concentration camps on display at the museum.
The Warsaw Ghetto’s inhumane conditions took an incredible toll on the Jewish population that was confined inside the ghetto. There were numerous instances of mass deportations of the ghetto population to concentration camps. In 1942, some of the Jews began forming resistance groups inside the ghetto. This culminated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in the Spring of 1943. The uprising wasn’t succesful in gaining control over the ghetto for a sustained period of time. However, the Nazis were surprised, and suffered numerous casualties during the three weeks of fighting.
After the uprising was defeated, most of the ghetto areas were razed to the ground. The survivors were deported to concentration camps.
Post World War II, the Museum of History of Polish Jews focuses on how the Jews that survived the war dealt with the new opportunities in Israel. The exhibits also mention the challenges of the Soviet control during the Cold War.
By the time I left the museum around 4:30 PM after several hours, it had started to become dark outside. The sunset comes quite early in November in Poland. I walked towards the Old Town, passing the National Opera, decorated in the colors of the Polish flag.
I continued to St. John’s Cathedral, the main church in Warsaw, to have a look inside its interior. It features mainly white stone columns, walls and ceilings. The interior is decorated with numerous flags from various regions and religious organizations around the country.
Next up I made a second attempt at the Nozyk Synagogue. It was closed the night before. One of the attendants had told me that it would be open on this evening. This time it was indeed open, and there was a large group outside. Interestingly they were all teenagers, but I didn’t think much of it. A security guard looked very sternly at me. He then approached me, and because I couldn’t answer in Polish, asked “you’re not part of this group, right?” Indeed I wasn’t, and I was told to leave the premises in a steadfast tone. I’m guessing this was a local group of Jewish teenagers, and the security thought I had bad intentions in mind. I didn’t feel like arguing and just walked away.
Instead, I got on the metro and went to Belvedere Palace and Lazienki Park, despite the fact it was dark. It was the last few items on my sightseeing to-do list. I had intended to see them during the daytime, but that didn’t work out. The Belvedere Palace was the residence of Polish presidents throughout parts of the 20th century.
Given that the surrounding park was still open, I figured I’d take a stroll around and photographed a few of the buildings. It wasn’t easy to get good photos though, as most of the buildings were unlit at night.
Having concluded my sightseeing in Warsaw, it was time for one last dinner. I returned to the Old Town via the metro. The Old Town was within walking distance from the apartment, and has a high concentration of restaurants. It became a pretty interesting ordeal finding something to eat in the Old Town though. Of course I wanted to eat something Polish again. I always try to stick to local cuisine as much as possible when traveling.
I went to one restaurant mentioned in my Lonely Planet guidebook, but it was closed. The second place I walked to was open, but my first two choices of food were unavailable. They also didn’t have half the ingredients for the appetizer I wanted. When the waiter came back a second time and said they didn’t have the 3rd choice for the main course either, I left the restaurant. I didn’t feel like settling for a meal I didn’t want because the restaurant didn’t have ingredients for half of the menu available. Last time I experienced something like that was in a restaurant in embargoed Cuba!
I eventually found one location of the same chain restaurant that I went to on my first night in town. They were definitely open and “surprisingly” had everything listed on the menu available.
It proved to be a decent option for one last dinner of Polish food. I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauerkraut stew I had ordered though. However, the sweet compote drink made up for it.
TUESDAY, November 13th
I left the apartment with the keys on the table for the Airbnb owner to pick up later. Then I walked to the metro to go to a stop named “Central”. From there it was evidently possible to switch to the commuter trains, incl. those towards the airport. I was expecting this to mean there was a direct link or underground walkway between the two platform areas, but nope. The transfer at Central involved walking about 8 minutes on street level, some of which was on a cobblestone-like surface. It was horrible, considering I was pulling a trolley along.
Curiously, there are two separate train stations with different names literally 200 meters/600ft apart from each other. However, the metro station which serves as a “transfer” stop for both, further down the street, has no separate walkway to either. You have to walk along the sidewalk and through a park.
When I finally got to the train station, the train I needed to take was displayed on the main screen in the entrance lobby, but not at the platform itself. Neither before, nor immediately after its departure time did it appear anywhere on the platform screens. I was on the way back out when it magically appeared 5 minutes later on the platform screen with the notice “10 minutes delayed”.
Despite all the issues with the commute, I finally made it to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport. The delay wasn’t too bad. I still had plenty of time to get something to eat for breakfast before my SWISS flight to Zurich.
