Old Town, Warsaw

Warsaw Old Town,

The Old Town was established in the 13th century. Initially surrounded by an earthwork rampart, prior to 1339 it was fortified with brick

Until 1817 the Old Town's most notable feature was the Town Hall built before 1429. In 1701 the square was rebuilt by Tylman Gamerski, and in 1817 the Town Hall was demolished. Since the 19th century, the four sides of the Market Square have borne the names of four notable Poles who once lived on the respective sides: Ignacy Zakrzewski (south), Hugo Kołłątaj (west), Jan Dekert (north) and Franciszek Barss (east).

In the early 1910s, Warsaw Old Town was the home of the prominent

In 1918 the

The Old Town Market Place (Rynek Starego Miasta), which dates back to the end of the 13th century, is the true heart of the Old Town, and until the end of the 18th century it was the heart of all of Warsaw.^[13] Here the representatives of guilds and merchants met in the Town Hall (built before 1429, pulled down in 1817), and fairs and the occasional execution were held. The houses around it represented the Gothic style until the great fire of 1607, after which they were rebuilt in late-Renaissance style.^[14]

Castle Square (plac Zamkowy) is a visitor's first view of the reconstructed Old Town, when approaching from the more modern center of Warsaw. It is an impressive sight, dominated by Sigismund's Column, which towers above the beautiful Old Town houses. Enclosed between the Old Town and the Royal Castle, Castle Square is steeped in history. Here was the gateway leading into the city called the Kraków Gate (Brama Krakowska).^[15] It was developed in the 14th century and continued to be a defensive area for the kings. The square was in its glory in the 17th century when Warsaw became the country's capital and it was here in 1644 that King Władysław IV erected the column to glorify his father Sigismund III Vasa, who is best known for moving the capital of Poland from Kraków to Warsaw.^[15] The Museum of Warsaw is also located there.

Canon Square (plac Kanonia), behind

In 1980, Warsaw's Old Town was placed on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites as "an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century.^[10]

The site is also one of Poland's official national

In 2011, the Archive of Warsaw Reconstruction Office was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  1:300 model of Warsaw Old Town in 2nd half of 18th century, in Museum of Warsaw
• 
  Palace Square
• 
  Warsaw old town wide (Rynek Starego Miasta)
• 
  Reconstructed townhouses
• 
  Road to the Old Town
• 
  Market Square
• 
  An alley
• 
  Old Town Market Square
• 
  Medieval basements at the Museum of Warsaw
• 
  Historical houses around Castle Square.
• 
  Old Town Market Place with tourists
• 
  Statue of the mermaid (Old Town).
• 
  Jan Kiliński monument
• 
  Warsaw Old Town surrounded by the old medieval defensive walls.
• 
  Defensive walls and the Barbican
• 
  Old Town street
• 
  Old Town.
• 
  St. John's Cathedral, 14th century^[18]
• 
  Jesuit Church, 1609^[18]
• 
  St. Martin's Church, 1353-1752^[18]
• 
  Warsaw Barbican, 1548
• 
  Gunpowder Tower, after 1379
• 
  Defensive walls, detail
• 
  Szeroki Dunaj Street
• 
  Piwna Street
• 
  Queen

  Sigismund III

  was attacked by an assassin in the corridor before attending mass
• 
  Canonicity Square
• 
  St John Street
• 
  Deanery of St. John's Cathedral

See also

• New Town, Warsaw

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Old Town of Warsaw.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Warsaw - Old & New Town.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Old Town in Warsaw.

• Royal Castle website
• Old Town Photos