Warsaw is a fascinating place. this opinion is largely influenced by my american upbringing, where nazis/germans/communists were always our enemies. or at least for whatever reason, that's what stuck in my head as an impressionable youth. Warsaw, like no other place i've visited before, captures the history of the communist influence in eastern europe.
the postanie warszawskie monument. i also visited the museum by the same name which documents the polish battles against german occupation. the polish are proud of their resistance as evidenced by the many memorials around the city. they put up an admirable fight but the uprisings were eventually silenced by the nazis.
the nazis were so pissed at the continuing resistance to their occupation that they decided to destroy significant warsaw landmarks and buildings. by the end of the war, more than 80% of the city lay in ruins.
as a testiment to the resilience of the people, the polish rebuilt, from the ground up, their entire "old town" after the war in order to preserve their heritage and culture.
in stark contrast to the colorful old town, there are communist era skyscraper buildings scattered around the rest of the city. whereas the old town has a very old european feel - narrow cobbled streets, large plazas, and colorful ornate buildings, the communist era landscape surrounding the old town is characterized by huge impersonal streets and large, dull, concrete buildings spaced far far away from each other.
the palace of culture and science -a gift from the U.S.S.R to Poland during cold war times. it very much resembles a mini empire state building.
all around the city now, new work is being done. infrastructure is being improved and fancy modern skyscrapers are going up.
lunch at the milk bar
