Tour of Warsaw, Poland

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a royal palace and official residence of the Polish monarchs, located in the Plac Zamkowy in the centre of Warsaw, at the entrance to the Old Town, overlooking the Castle Square.

Throughout history, the Royal Castle was repeatedly devastated and plundered by Swedish, Brandenburgian, German, and Russian armies.

The Royal Castle and surrounding buildings were almost totally destroyed by the German's in 1944. The surrounding area was rebuilt in 1964 and the Royal Palace 2 years later.

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Warsaw's Castle Square is a square in front of the Royal Castle.

This is the main attraction for tourists to see this beautifully restored area that shows what the city was like before the extensive destruction of Warsaw during World War II.

The square often attracts street entertainers, rallies and concerts.

The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland. The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science.

This building was a gift from the Soviet Union to the people of Poland. Construction started in 1952 and lasted until 1955.

The name was changed in the late 1950s during the time of De-Stalinization, when the name of Joseph Stalin, who died in 1953, was being removed from cities, landmarks, and facilities that had been named or renamed after him.

This process took place in response to Stalin's brutal treatment of the Soviet people in the 29 years he was the leader of the Soviet Union.

The building currently serves as an exhibition centre and office complex.

The view right shows the skyline of modern Warsaw.

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Ujazdow Castle is situated a short distance south of Warsaw centre in the scenic Ujazdow Park.

The castle was burnt out and damaged by the Germans following the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

Reconstruction of the castle, to its 18th century design, began in 1975.

Warsaw's Center for Contemporary Art has been housed there since 1981.

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The Lazienki Palace is a Neoclassical palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park, next to Ujazdow Castle, just south of the city centre.

The palace is built on an artificial island in a lake.

The Palace and most of its paintings survived WW II with only minor damage, it now serves as a museum.

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In 1926, a bronze statue of the Polish composer Frederic Chopin was erected in the upper part of Warsaw's Royal Baths Park, (Lazienki Park).

The statue was designed by sculptor Waclaw Szymanowski in 1907. It was originally to have been erected in 1910, on the centenary of Chopin's birth, but its execution was delayed by controversy about the design, then by the outbreak of World War I.

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There are many monuments throughout Warsaw representing the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

The Warsaw Uprising was a struggle by the Polish Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi German occupation during World War II.

The Uprising began August 1st 1944. It was intended to last for only a few days until the Soviet Army reached the city. As the the Soviet advance stopped short, for still unexplained reasons, the Polish resistance fought the German forces for 63 days until they were forced to surrendered on October 2nd, after 250,000 inhabitants of the city had been killed.

The German army then set about destroying many of the Warsaw buildings that had survived the uprising, about 85% in total.

January 1945, the Soviets liberated Warsaw, which by that time, Warsaw's pre-war population of approximately 1.3 million, had been reduced to a mere 153,000. More Information .

The Warsaw Barbican is a semicircular fortified outpost, one of a few remaining relics of a complex network of historic fortifications that once encircled Warsaw.

This major tourist attraction is located between the Old and New Towns.

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The Great Theater in Warsaw, now the Great Theater and Polish National Opera, is located on historic Theater Square, in the centre of Warsaw.

The theater was inaugurated on February 24, 1833, with a production of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.

The building was severely damaged during World War II. It was rebuilt in the 1960s, and reopened November 19th 1965, after having been closed for over twenty years.

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The top visitor attraction in Warsaw is Wilanów Palace, that survived the time of Poland's partitions and both World Wars

It was built for the Polish king John III Sobieski in the last quarter of the 17th century.

After the death of John III Sobieski in 1696, the palace was owned by his sons and later by the famous magnate families Sieniawscy, Czartoryscy, Lubomirscy, Potoccy and Braniccy.

In 1720, the run-down property was purchased by one of the wealthiest women in Poland, a prominent stateswoman, Elz.bieta Sieniawska.

A visit to this palace includes two parts: a Polish portrait gallery on the first floor where you can see portraits of Polish monarchs and historical figures collected over the centuries. After the portrait gallery the visit takes you to see the royal apartments of the palace including ballrooms, and living quarters that where inhabited by Polish royalty.

The Palace is located in Warsaw’s Wilanów district, about 10 km (6 miles) south of the city center, at the end of the historic Royal Road, which led from the Royal Palace in the Old Town to what was King Jan III Sobieski’s country residence in Wilanów.

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For more information on Warsaw, visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw.