Warsaw Poland

Description: Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.27 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 7th most-populous city in the European Union. The city area measures 517 km2 (200 sq mi) and comprises 18 districts, while the metropolitan area covers 6,100 km2 (2,355 sq mi). Warsaw is an alpha global city, a major cultural, political and economic hub, and the country’s seat of government. It is also capital of the Masovian Voivodeship.

Population: 3,270,775

Demographics: In 2019, it was estimated that 40,000 foreign born people were living in Warsaw. Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Belarusians, and Russians were the most prominent groups. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, over 1.1 million refugees from Ukraine passed through Warsaw, and at the beginning of March 2022, approximately 40,000 people applied for help every day. According to official data, over 104,000 of Ukrainian citizens who arrived in the first days after the outbreak of the war still reside in the city, including 17,000 young people and children attending urban educational institutions. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the immigrant population has increased significantly to about 340,000.

History: The first fortified settlements on the site of today’s Warsaw were located in Bródno (9th/10th century) and Jazdów (12th/13th century). During the 15th century, the population migrated and spread beyond the northern city wall into a newly formed self-governing precinct called New Town. The existing older settlement became eventually known as the Old Town. Both possessed their own town charter and independent councils. The aim of establishing a separate district was to accommodate new incomers or “undesirables” who were not permitted to settle in Old Town, particularly Jews. Social and financial disparities between the classes in the two precincts led to a minor revolt in 1525. Following the sudden death of Janusz III and the extinction of the local ducal line, Masovia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland in 1526. Bona Sforza, wife of Sigismund I of Poland, was widely accused of poisoning the duke to uphold Polish rule over Warsaw. Warsaw remained the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1795 when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the third and final partition of Poland; it subsequently became the capital of the province of South Prussia. Between 1850 and 1882, the population grew by 134% to 383,000 as a result of rapid urbanisation and industrialization. Many migrated from surrounding rural Masovian towns and villages to the city for employment opportunities. The western borough of Wola was transformed from an agricultural periphery occupied mostly by small farms and windmills (mills being the namesake of Wola’s central neighbourhood Młynów) to an industrial and manufacturing centre. Metallurgical, textile and glassware factories were commonplace, with chimneys dominating the westernmost skyline. Like London, Warsaw’s population was subjected to income segmentation. Gentrification of inner suburbs forced poorer residents to move across the river into Praga or Powiśle and Solec districts, similar to the East End of London and London Docklands. Poorer religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Jews, settled in the crowded parts of northern Warsaw, in Muranó The Imperial Census of 1897 recorded 626,000 people living in Warsaw, making it the third-largest city of the Empire after St. Petersburg and Moscow as well as the largest city in the region. In 1945, after the bombings, revolts, fighting, and demolition had ended, most of Warsaw lay in ruins. The area of the former ghetto was razed to the ground, with only a sea of rubble remaining. The immense destruction prompted a temporary transfer of the new government and its officials to Łódź, which became the transitional seat of power. Nevertheless, Warsaw officially resumed its role as the capital of Poland and the country’s centre of political and economic life. After World War II, the “Bricks for Warsaw” campaign was initiated and large prefabricated housing projects were erected in Warsaw to address the major housing shortage. Much of the central district was also designated for future skyscrapers. The 237-metre Palace of Culture and Science resembling New York’s Empire State Building was built as a gift from the Soviet Union. Warsaw’s urban landscape is one of modern and contemporary architecture. Despite wartime destruction and post-war remodeling, many of the historic streets, buildings, and churches were restored to their original form. With the entry of Poland into the European Union in 2004, Warsaw is experiencing the largest economic boom of its history. The opening fixture of UEFA Euro 2012 took place in Warsaw and the city also hosted the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the 2016 NATO Summit. As of August 2022, Warsaw had received around 180,000 refugees from Ukraine, because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The amount means a tenth of the Polish capital’s population of 1.8 million — the largest single group of Ukrainian refugees anywhere.

Elevation: 100 m

Climate: Marine warm summer climate. Average annual temperature in Warsaw is 11 C (52 F), the average for July is 18 C (64 F), the average for January is -2 C (28 F).

Attractions: Old Town, POLIN Muzeum Historii Zydow Polskich, Rynek Satarego Miasta, Castle Square, Nowy Swiat, Palace Of Culture And Science