“Why are we going to Warsaw anyway? All it is, is a modern city. They just cleaned out the rubble and put buildings back up after WWII. New ones! No character! Boy, am I happy that we got to see Krakow! At least that one is all original! I’m glad we really only have a day and a half in Warsaw, any more would be a waste of time.”
Don Hall (3:00 PM – April 17, 2026)
“How come we have to leave so soon? Only a day and a half to explore Warsaw? Who planned this mess? An old KGB guy hired by Krakow? C’mon let’s mutiny! They can’t make us get on the bus!
Here we go… War-saw! War-saw! War-saw!”
Don Hall (9:30 AM – April 20, 2026)
“What a difference a day makes….”
Holy Smokes was I ever wrong!
(For the next few minutes [two minutes and thirteen seconds reading normally to be precise! ] I will bore you with a short history lesson, but it is crucial to what you are about to witness!)
If there ever was a city that could claim the title of being a Phoenix, this incredibly beautiful city is it. During its long history, Warsaw has seen itself ‘completely’ destroyed and rebuilt not one, not two, not three, not four, but five times! We’ll talk about the two most significant of those sieges, the first being by the Swedes (yes, those Volvo / Ikea loving folks!) in 1655 – 1660, when they destroyed the city to the extent that 90% of the population was decimated and most of the buildings razed. The next are closely related by being contained within the confines of WWII. The first of these was in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland in September. As per the usual modus operandi of the Germans, all the Jews were moved into a ghetto and confined for further processing. Next came the infamous date of April 19th (check your calendars and note where we were yesterday, and the date). This date marks the start of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising which although ultimately ended in defeat, took almost a month for these incredibly resilient fighters to succumb. After the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto rose up, Nazi forces systematically razed the district, using flamethrowers and explosives to turn the area into a wasteland. This destroyed an additional large part of the city center. Next, during the 63-day Warsaw Uprising by the Polish Home Army, roughly an additional twenty-five percent of the city’s buildings were destroyed in active combat. By now the Germans had had about enough of these strong, challenging people and following the surrender of the uprising, German special units systematically burned and blew up the remaining districts, street by street, building by building, including historical landmarks and residential areas. That operation completed the destruction of what once was one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe having once been known as the “Paris of the North.”
Yesterday was April 19th, the 83rd anniversary of the 1943 Ghetto Uprising. We were there for the commemoration, which has turned into a celebration (and rightfully so!) of the heroic resistance of a people that refused to give up. We stood outside the restaurant that we were to have lunch in so that we made sure that at precisely noontime, we could hear the sirens wail for the Minute, reminding all of the sacrifices made by those in the Past for those in the Future. And if those sirens didn’t remind everyone of an air raid siren, I don’t know what would.
So, now basically no more Warsaw. The Red Army moved in and ‘liberated’ this area, and I write that with ’tongue in cheek’ because while they may have liberated Poland from the Germans, it would take an additional 45 years for them to ‘leave’. (1989!)
Meanwhile, since Poland was liberated by Stalin and his Russian troops, they were not eligible to be included in the Marshall Plan which helped any of the countries that were freed by the non-Russian Allies. Even West Germany benefitted from this plan to help get Europe back up and running again.
(End of History Lesson)
That was kind of necessary for you to appreciate what will soon be in front of you, a collection of photos that defy explanation except that now you know the makeup of the Polish people and if they won’t let a few fights get in the way, they’re certainly not going to let anything else get in the way of restoring their beloved city! Obviously, everything that you see will be post -WWII but it was reconstructed so well that eventually their efforts were awarded an unprecedented inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site! Yea, there was some controversy there, but hopefully you can agree that after witnessing the outcomes, it is/was well-deserved!
Now for the proof!
“I rest my case!”
but there’s lots more to show about Warsaw!
The cool thing about this place is that it was the site of talks between the People’s Republic of China and the United States! These were held in secret during the years between 1958 to 1970 and since no one trusted the Soviets, no words were spoken, only notes passed between them and then burned!
No not a Communist Squirrel, just his color!
As of the past few years, we’ve been to countless medieval/classic type cities that look exactly like this!
This is one of about 15 billion café’s here!
Since taxes were levied according to the front width of one’s property, this enterprising person just built out behind his small “front” door!
Can you tell when this was built?
(photo courtesy of Paula who had the patience to wait until no one was around!)
I hope that you can see why I was o mistaken in my judgement about Warsaw! That event ended our Pre-Trip to Poland, on to the Baltic capitals, the Main part of this trip. I can say that without a doubt we could go back to Poland and spend an inordinate amount of time!
2 replies on “Warsaw!”
Thanks for this post. I probably would have thought the same about Warsaw. Looks like a must go for Glenn and me. 🇵🇱
Yay!!! You won’t regret it!!!