July 12 + 13, 2024
Click pics for larger scale!
There is also an impressive reunion with the city of Warsaw. Around 20 years after my last visit to Poland’s capital, I almost don’t recognize her:
- The old town, which, after the devastating destruction in WWII, was once almost tiny, although already in parts very beautifully restored, has expanded considerably and is characterized by high liveliness and the flow of large tourist groups.
- The infrastructure – roads, traffic control systems, public traffic – as well as the presence of gastronomic and hotel establishments, elegant shops, bank centers and big companies‘ headquarters, also of international provenance, are impressive and at an absolutely high Central European level.
- In the cityscape, glass skyscrapers and facades with elaborate illumination and neon signs have taken the place of the formerly still dominant gray, often dilapidated buildings and form the backdrop of a pulsating metropolis.
- Parks and squares are well maintained, modern and stylishly designed.
The recent history of Poland is also omnipresent in the cityscape due to the frequently visible references to the atrocities suffered in the 30s and 40s and the political changes in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century.
Particularly memorable and depressing for me is the visit to the museum about the Warsaw uprising in 1944, in which the citizens of the city rose up against the occupiers from Nazi Germany, but could not hold their ground after a courageous, loss-making fight of two months against the superior military forces. The museum shows the determination of the Polish population and the cruelty of the occupying forces in a historically factual, authentic way and leaves me after the visit of several hours with an almost unmanageable mixture of emotions.
Nice that I can end the day with a good dinner and stimulating conversation with Joanna.
