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WARSAW - POLAND
Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa, see also other names in full The Capital City of
Warsaw, Polish: Miasto Stoleczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its
largest city. It is located on the Vistula river roughly 350 km from both
the Baltic coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2004 was
estimated at 1,676,600, with an urban agglomeration of approximately
2,400,000.
The city, also the capital of Masovian Voivodship, is home to many
industries (manufacturing, steel, electrical engineering, automotive
industry), comprises 66 higher learning institutons incl. (Warsaw University,
Warsaw University of Technology, Higher School of Business and Medical
Academy) and over 30 Theatres incl. the National Theatre and Opera and the
Philharmonic National Orchestra .
Location
Warsaw is located on both sides of the Vistula river, approximately 350
kilometres from both the Carpathian mountains and the Baltic Sea. It is
located in the heartland of the Masovian Plain. Average altitude is 100 m
above sea level, although there are some hills (mostly artificial) located
within the confines of the city.
Climate
Warsaw's climate is continental humid. The average temperature is 8 degrees
Celsius (–3° C in January and 19° C in July). Yearly rainfall does not
exceed 680 mm, the most rainy month being July.
History
Warsaw was a small fishing village in the 13th century. In time, it became
one of the seats of the Dukes of Mazovia. Upon the extinction of the ducal
line, the duchy was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland in 1526. In
1572, Warsaw gave its name to the Warsaw Confederacy, an agreement by the
Polish Gentry to tolerate different religious faiths in the Kingdom of
Poland. Due to its central location in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,
Warsaw became the capital of Poland in 1596, when King Sigismund III (Vasa)
moved the capital from Krakow. Warsaw remained the capital of Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth until 1795, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, to
become the capital of the Province New East Prussia. Liberated by Napoleon's
army in 1807, it was made the capital of the newly created Duchy of Warsaw.
Following the decisions of the Congress of Vienna 1815, Warsaw became the
center of the Polish Kingdom, a constitutional monarchy under a personal
union with Imperial Russia.
Following repeated violations of the Polish constitution by the Russians,
the 1830 November Uprising broke out. However, the Polish-Russian war of
1831 ended in the defeat of the uprising and the curtailment of the autonomy
of the Kingdom.
On February 27, 1861 a crowd in Warsaw protesting Russian rule over Poland
was fired upon by Russian troops killing five protesters. Warsaw become the
capital of newly independent Poland again in 1918.
In the course of the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1920 there was a huge Battle of
Warsaw fought on the eastern outskirts of the city in which the capital of
Poland was defended and the Red Army defeated.
Warsaw is notable among Europe's capital cities not for its size, its age,
or its beauty but for its indestructibility. It is a phoenix that has risen
repeatedly from the ashes. Having suffered dreadful damage during the
Swedish and Prussian wars of 1655-1656, it was again assaulted in 1794, when
the Russian army massacred the population of the right-bank suburb of Praga.
Its most remarkable act of survival, though, was its rebirth following
almost complete destruction during the Second World War.
The Second World War began when Germany invaded western Poland on 1st
September 1939. On 17th September, eastern Poland was invaded by the USSR.
Poland capitulated after 6 weeks of fighting. Western Poland was
incorporated into the German Reich, eastern Poland into the USSR while
central Poland, including Warsaw, became part of a German-occupied military
zone, the General Government. In the course of the September Campaign Warsaw
was severely bombed and in the course of the Siege of Warsaw approximately
10 to 15% of all the buildings were destroyed.
Warsaw became an occupied city under the control of the Nazi SS. All higher
education institutions were immediately closed and Warsaw's entire Jewish
population -- several hundred thousand, some 40% of the city -- herded into
the Warsaw ghetto. When the order came to liquidate the Ghetto as part of
Hitler's "final solution", Jewish fighters launched the Ghetto Uprising.
Despite being heavily outgunned and outnumbered, the Ghetto held out for
almost a month. When it ended, the survivors were massacred.
During 1943 and 1944 the tide of the war changed as the USSR, which had been
at war with Germany since 1941, inflicted several severe defeats on the
German army. By July 1944 the Soviets were deep into Polish territory and
pursuing the Germans towards Warsaw. Knowing that Stalin was hostile to the
idea of an independent Poland, the Polish government-in-exile (based in
London) gave orders to the underground Home Army (AK) to try to seize
control of Warsaw from the Nazis just before the Soviets arrive. Thus on
August 1, 1944, as the Soviet army was moving towards the city very fast,
the Home Army and the general population started the Warsaw Uprising.
Despite Stalin's hostility towards Poland, they had expected that Soviet
troops would assist them against their common German enemy. Polish
nationalists contend that the Soviet army sat and watched as the Germans
ruthlessly suppressed the uprising. Recent studies of both Nazi and Soviet
records have convinced many historians that it is unlikely the Red Army
could have reached the city. Although the insurgency, planned to last 48
hours, held out for 63 days, eventually the Home Army fighters were forced
to capitulate. They were transported to POW camps in Germany while the
entire civilian population was expelled. Hitler then ordered the entire city
to be razed to the ground. When the Russians entered the city, 85% of the
buildings had been destroyed, including the historic Old Town and the Royal
Castle. Surviving Home Army fighters were rounded up by the NKVD and either
killed or deported to Siberia.
After the war, Boleslaw Bierut's puppet regime, set up by Stalin, made
Warsaw the capital of communist People's Republic of Poland, and the city
was resettled and rebuilt. A lot of plattenbaus can be found in Warsaw. Few
of the inhabitants of pre-war Poland returned: hundreds of thousands were
dead, thousands more in exile from the new regime. Nonetheless, the city
resumed its role as the capital of Poland and the country's center of
political and economic life. Many of the historic streets, buildings, and
churches were restored to their original form. In 1980, the historic Old
Town of Warsaw was inscribed onto UNESCO's World Heritage list.
In 1995 the Warsaw Metro finally opened and with the entry of Poland into
the European Union in 2004 Warsaw is currently experiencing the biggest
economic boom in its history.
Famous people born, living or working in Warsaw
Eugeniusz Bodo (1899-1943?), singer and actor
Zbigniew Brzezinski (b. 1928), political scientist, advisor of US president
Jimmy Carter
Fryderyk Chopin, (1810-1849), one of the greatest Polish composers
Marie Curie, (1867-1934), pioneer researcher into radioactivity
Lucyna Cwierczakiewiczowa (1829-1901), the first Polish cook book author
Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969), novelist and drama writer
Agnieszka Holland (b. 1948), film director
Jacek Kaczmarski, (1957-2004), songwriter, poet and author
Lech Kaczynski, (b. 1949), politician, Solidarity activist
Ryszard Kapuscinski (b. 1932), writer and journalist
Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996), film director
Ryszard Kuklinski (1930-2004), CIA spy during the Cold War
Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980), painter
Witold Lutoslawski, (1913-1994), composer
Wladyslaw Reymont (1867-1925), writer, Nobel Prize winner
Stefan Starzynski (1893-1943?), president of Warsaw 1934-1939, murdered by
Germans
Wladyslaw Szpilman, (1911-2000), composer and author of The Pianist
Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz aka Witkacy (1885-1939), writer and painter
Janusz A. Zajdel (1938-1995), science-fiction writer
Municipal Government
Administrative division
Warsaw is a municipal powiat and is further divided in 18 distinct entities
(called dzielnica) with their own administrative bodies. Each of the
dzielnica is divided into neighborhoods which are not officially recognized
by the city but known by most Varsovians. The best known neigborhoods are
Stare Miasto and Nowe Miasto in the Sródmiescie dzielnica.
Bemowo
Bialoleka
Bielany
Mokotów
Ochota
Praga Poludnie
Praga Pólnoc
Rembertów
Sródmiescie
Targówek
Ursus
Ursynów
Wawer
Wesola (incorporated into the city of Warsaw in 2001, before a separate
city)
Wilanów
Wola
Wlochy
Zoliborz
Notable suburbs include:
Grodzisk Mazowiecki (24 900)
Legionowo (50 600)
Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (27 200)
Otwock (44 000)
Piaseczno (25 200)
Piastów (23 700)
Pruszków (53 000)
Wolomin (36 500)
Zyrardów (31 900)
Municipal government
The Warsaw act abolished all the former counties and formed one city powiat
with one municipal government.
Legislative power in Warsaw is vested in a unicameral City Council (Rada
Miasta), which contains 60 members. Council members are elected directly
every four years. Like most legislative bodies, the City Council divides
itself into committees which have oversight of various functions of the city
government. Bills passed by a simple majority are sent to the mayor, who may
sign it into law. If the mayor vetoes the bill, the Council has 30 days to
override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote.
Each of the 18 separate city districts has its own council (Rada dzielnicy).
Their duties are focused on aiding the President and the City Council, as
well as supervising various municipal companies, city-owned property and
schools. The head of each of the District Councils is named the Mayor
(Burmistrz) and is elected by the local council from the candidates proposed
by the President of Warsaw.
Transport
Although Warsaw was heavily damaged during World War II and reconstruction
in the fifties widened many streets, the city is currently plauged with
traffic problems. Public transportation in Warsaw is as efficient as it is
ubiquitous, serving the city with buses, tramways and a recently opened
metro.
Transit
Warsaw lacks a good circular road system and most of the East-West traffic
goes directly through the city centre. Currently two circular roads are
under construction. The first (called OEW, or Obwodnica Etapowa Warszawy) is
to lead the traffic approximately 10 kilometres from the city centre through
the city streets and two newly-built bridges). Other is to become a part of
the both the A-2 (Berlin-Moscow) and the A-7 (Gdansk-Cracow) motorways and
run through a tunnel under the southern area of Ursynów. It is to become
available between 2008 and 2010.
Airports
Warsaw has one international Airport (Okecie International Airport located
just 10 km. away from the city centre. With over 60 international and
domestic flights a day and with over 4.5 millions of passengers a year it is
by far the biggest airport in Poland.
There are also plans of a second international airport to be built, mostly
for aerial connections with other European Union countries. It is to be
located either just outside of the city limits on one of the former military
airports or in one of the suburbs to the North or to the West.
Public Transportation
The public transportation system in Warsaw consists of three branches
(buses, tramways and metro) united in the ZTM (Zarzad Transportu Miejskiego
or the City Transportation Office). Additional lines are operated by private
companies and the state-owned railways.
Buses
Bus service covers the entire city, with 176 routes totalling 2,603
kilometers in length, and 1,659 vehicles. The central bus stop is located
next to Warszawa Centralna railway station and Centrum Metro station.
Between midnight and 5 am the city is served by 14 night lines.
Tramways
The first tramway line in Warsaw was opened on December 11, 1866. On March
26, 1908, all the lines, previously horse-powered, were electrified. In the
interbellum the tramways were nationalized and the net was extended
significantly. After the Defence War of 1939 the service was halted for
approximately three months due to war losses. Heavy aerial bombardement
during the siege of Warsaw and requisition of all modern cars by the new
German authorities postponed the reintroduction of service. However, by 1940
the tramways were back on track. In 1941 the present colours of the cars
were introduced (yellow and red, in accordance with the Flag of Warsaw
colours).
Following the Warsaw Uprising the tramway net was consistently destroyed by
the Germans until the liberation of the ruins in January 1945. The streets
were filled with rubble, the tramway stations destroyed and the cars either
burnt or transported to Germany. However, the first line of tramways was
opened again for the public on June 20, 1945.
Following the Second World War the tramway net in Warsaw was in fast
development. The track net reached all the principal parts of the city.
However, in the Sixties the official policy of both Polish and Soviet
authorities promoted usage of Soviet oil and exportation of Polish coal. The
availability of coal on the home market was decreased and the tramway net
was shortened while more buses were bought. Until 1989 only 28 lines were
preserved.
Currently the Tramwaje Warszawskie company runs 863 cars on almost 470
kilometres of track. 29 lines run across the city with additional lines
opened on special occasions (such as public holidays or All-Saints Day).
Trolleybuses
After the World War II most of the communication network in Warsaw was
destroyed. The streets were filled with rubble, and the tramway
infrastructure was either transported to Germany by the Wehrmacht or
destroyed.
However, the city entered the path of quick reconstruction and was in need
of a transport network both cheap and efficient. In 1946 several dozens of
troleybuses were bought in the Soviet Union and first two lines were soon
opened. The trolleybuses were using a reconstructed tramway lines and the
lines ran from Union of Lublin sq. (Plac Unii Lubelskiej) to Warszawa
Gdanska train station and from Lazienkowska depot to the city centre (Piekna
street area).
In March 1946 a second line was opened (Plac Saski-Bonifraterska), but was
closed and replaced by tramways in December. However, the reconstruction of
tramway net was halted, mostly for political reasons, and until 1955 5 new
lines were opened, covering most of the city centre.
1967 started a period of fast decline in both number of trolleybuses and
lines open for public in Warsaw. PZPR policies under Edward Gierek assumed
that as much Polish coal as possible be exported while the oil be imported
at very low prices from the USSR. It was decided that production of
electricity should be lowered in order to spare resources and by July 7,
1973 all trolleybus lines in Warsaw were closed.
The last period of Warsaw troleybus comunication started in 1977, when it
was decided that the existing cars could be used as a means of communication
between Warsaw and the southern suburb of Piaseczno. Additional line was
planned through Wilanów (now a part of the city), Powsin and
Konstancin-Jeziorna. However, economical crisis made construction of the
latter line impossible and only the earlier was opened on July 1, 1983.
After the system transformation of 1989 it became apparent that the
trolleybuses were in dire need of replacement (those used were built in
early 1950s) and that maintenance costs of running a single line were very
high. On September 1, 1995 the Warsaw City Council decided that all services
on the 51 and 651 lines be halted. In July 2000 the trolleybus depot in
Piaseczno was closed and the remaining cars sold to Minsk and to various
museums.
Railway
The first railroad reached Warsaw in 1848 (Warsaw-Vienna line). Nowadays
Warsaw is one of the main railway nodes and exchange points in Poland. Cheap
and fairly efficient, PKP (Polskie Koleje Panstwowe or Polish State-owned
Railways) are one of the principal means of transport in Poland.
The main train station is Warszawa Centralna. Both domestic and
international connections run from there to almost every city in Poland and
Europe. There are also 5 additional major train stations and a number of
smaller stations for suburban lines.
The railway crosses the city through a tunnel (Tunel Srednicowy). It is
approximately 2.2 km long and runs directly under the city centre. It is a
part of an east-west line connecting the Warszawa Zachodnia, Warszawa
Centralna and Warszawa Wschodnia train stations through the tunnel and a
railway bridge over the Vistula river. There are plans of converting this
line into a metro.
Sports
Warsaw is home to 2 major proffesional football clubs and a number of
smaller clubs. Those currently playing in the first division (Pierwsza Liga)
are Legia Warszawa and Polonia Warszawa.
Like most of Polish sport clubs, those based in Warsaw have also branches
that sepcialize in other disciplines. The following lists the major sport
clubs and the discipline the club is famous for:
Culture
Theatre
Warsaw is home to over 30 major theatres that are spread throughout the
city, including the National Theatre (founded in 1765) and the Grand Theatre
in Warsaw (established 1778).
Warsaw also attracts many young and off-stream directors and performers who
add to the city's theatre culture. Their productions can be seen mostly in
the smaller theatres and Houses of Culture (Dom Kultury) located mostly
outside of the Sródmiescie.
Museums and art galleries
There are many museums and art galleries in Warsaw, most notable are the
Muzeum Narodowe, Zacheta Art Museum, Centre for Contemporary Art, Museum of
the Polish Army. The biggest of them, the National Museum has numerous
divisions located in many parts of Warsaw, most notably in the Royal Castle
and the Wilanow Palace.
On August 1, 2004, the Warsaw Uprising Museum is to be opened to the public.
Education
Warsaw is one of the most important education centres of Poland. It is home
to four major universities and over 62 smaller schools of higher education.
The most important are:
University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski)
Warsaw University of Technology (Politechnika Warszawska)
Warsaw School of Economics (Szkola Glówna Handlowa)
Warsaw Agricultural University (Szkola Glówna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego)
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University (Uniwersytet Stefana kardynala
Wyszynskiego)
Medical University of Warsaw (Akademia Medyczna w Warszawie)
Academy of National Defence (Akademia Obrony Narodowej)
Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw (Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego w
Warszawie)
Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music (Akademia Muzyczna im. Fryderyka Chopina)
Theatre Academy (Akademia Teatralna im. Aleksandra Zelwerowicza)
The overall number of students of all grades of education in Warsaw is
almost 500.000 (29.2% of the city population; 2002). The number of
university students is over 255.000.
Economy
Business and commerce
Warsaw, end especially its downtown area of Sródmiescie is not only home to
many national institutions and government agenda, but also is housing a huge
number of both domestic and international companies. In 2003 268.307
companies were registered in the city. It is seen as the heartland of Poland
by foreign investors whose interest in city development is projected onto
the number of over 650 million Euro a year (2002). Warsaw produces more than
4.1% of Polish income.
At the same time the unemployment is one of the lowest in Poland and does
not exceed 6.5% in official data.
The city itself collects 5.162.324 zlotys, mostly in taxes and government
grants.
Stock Exchange
Although Warsaw was home to Stock Exchange since 1817, in 1945, because of
political changes after World War II, it couldn't have been recreated. It
started operating again in April 1991, after the reintroduction of
free-market economy and democracy. It is now the biggest stock exchange in
Central and Eastern Europe, with more than 130 companies listed. Main
indices of its performance are WIG and WIG20.
History likes funny twists -- it's worth mentioning that from 1991 until
2000, the Warsaw Stock Exchange was situated in the building previously used
as the headquarters of Polish communist party, PZPR.
Industry
Following the destruction of the city in World War Two and its
reconstruction, the communist authorities decided that Warsaw be rebuilt as
a major industrial centre. Several hundred major factories were build in the
city or just outside of it. Most notable were the Huta Warszawa Steel Works
and two car factories.
However, as the communist economical system deteriorated, most of them lost
any significance. In the years following 1989, in the course of a peaceful
transformation of both pollitical and economical system in Poland, most of
these went bankrupt. Nowadays, the Lucchini-Warszawa Steel Mill (formerly
Huta Warszawa) is the only major factory remaining .
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