WARSAW
Hotel Bristol,
Krakowskie Przedmiescie 42/44 00325 Warsaw, Poland
Tel: 48 22 551 1000
MAP
Although more than 85% of Warsaw was destroyed or damaged in World War II, the city has been rebuilt into one of Europe’s most vibrant capitals, using pre-war paintings and sketches to painstakingly reconstruct many historic buildings, restoring them to their former glory.
The Nazis weren’t happy and they wanted revenge. To punish the Poles, they decided to destroy Warsaw. In a deliberate and coordinated operation, they went through the Old Town, stealing anything of value, burning buildings with flamethrowers, exploding monuments.
The city was incredibly and gradually rebuilt almost identically to how it had been previously. It took about five years to do the first stage. They used old photos and paintings, historical records, people’s memories. The aim was not just to put buildings back in the right place, but to also give them the same artistic designs and colors. Below is a detailed video of this Old Town
Sep 24
Dinner
- 6 PM, Welcome Reception/Dinner at Hotel Bristol.
Meet travel companions and Tauck Director
Day 25: Sunday
Breakfast
- Bus tour around the City
- Walking tour to the 13th- and 14th-century World Heritage Old Town.
WHAT WE DID
It was destroyed but restored. Before the Second World War. the Old Town was a marvelous collection of buildings that told the story of the city’s history. There were the intricately decorated facades of the Guild Hall and the Town Hall; the colossal Castle Square; and the splashes of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture spread out between them. The Old Town was badly damaged early on, with bombing during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. In August of 1944, the Polish resistance took up the fight against the Nazi occupiers in what became known as the Warsaw Uprising. The resistance inflicted serious damage on the Germans and killed thousands of them.
We visit the Jewish Ghetto Memorial honoring the victims of the Warsaw Ghetto and the heroes of the 1943 uprising.
Afternoon: Free Time
Evening
- Dinner at a local restaurant with Typical Polish cuisine and authentic local entertainment.
- Dinner at a local restaurant with Typical Polish cuisine and authentic local entertainment.
- A private concert
Fryderyk Chopin gave his first piano concert at only eight years, on February 24, 1818. The concert was organized at the initiative of Countess Zofia Zamoyski, from the part of the Charity Society of Warsaw.
WHAT WE DID
On our first day, before the Tauck tour commenced, we had plans to book a separate tour in the morning and a boat on the the Vistula in the afternoon. (See
Prior Warsaw Plans ). We scraped those ideas. Instead we walked Krakowskie Przedmiescie (aka Royal Route or Way) to Old Town and along the Barbican.
Stroll Royal Route from Bristol Hotel. The one-mile long street, one of Warsaw’s oldest, links the Old Town and the Royal Castle. Considered one of Warsaw’s most elegant streets, it dates back to the 15th century when it was a trade route. Lookout 17th century statue of a Madonna and child that commemorates a Polish victory over Turkish forces in Vienna.
Tom T treated the gals to a horse-buggy ride around Old Town. Warren and Tom rested for a beer in Old Town while Tom and the gals did their half-hour excursion.
The tour commenced around 6:30 PM. We met our thirteen comrades and tour director in a hotel meeting room.
In the first morning, our Tauck bus with local director provided us with a brief tour of Warsaw from the Bristol to Lazienki (Chopin monument) and back to the Jewish Museum. It then dropped us about a mile from the museum and we walked through the Jewish sector,the Barbican, and ending on the Old Town market center. Our local guide dropped us off at the Kolumna Zygmunta for the afternoon on our own.
For lunch and the afternoon, we were on our own. We walked back to the Bristol Hotel and continued on Nowy Swiat. We had a mission. Tom T wanted to find a grocery store for mustard (it helped against his leg cramps) and Jeanne wanted Pierogi.
Tom found his grocery store, but Jeanne had to settle for pizza on a street side restaurant.
Our dinner plans included an hour-long Chopin piano recital followed by a polish dinner.
Upon returning to the hotel, John (Morrison) began his frequent Night Capper at the bar joined by Debbie, Jim and Carolyne, Tom and Abbie, and Neil.