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Warsaw 2017
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This is the heart of the Old Town in Warsaw. It is the plac Zamkowy (Zamkowy Place).

On the left is the column dedicated to Zygmunta III Vasa (Sigismund). From 1587 to 1632, he ruled over a vast Empire stretching from Sweden to the Black Sea. He even managed to occupy Moscow for two years, during a period the Russians call "the time of troubles".

As I travelled through Eastern Europe, I was constantly reminded of the turbulent and often tragic history of this region. Yet the people here had the courage and the spirit to rebuild and restore their cities after each calamity.
A close up shot of Zygmunta on his column.
Plac Zamkowy is a great place to hold ceremonies, demonstrations and celebrations of all kinds.
This is the Old Town Market Place (Rynek Starego Miasta). It was the centre of the Old Town of Warsaw.

The next three photos show parts of thie Old Market Place.
This photo and the next one are of the Barbican, part of the old defensive walls around the city.
Before the Nazis were driven out of Warsaw in WW2, they destroyed much of the city. This is a photo at the Warsaw Uprising Museum showing the devastation of the Old Town.

After the War, the Poles were seriously thinking of abandoning Warsaw and building a new capital elsewhere. But the Polish spirit prevailed and Old Warsaw was rebuilt as faithfully as possible. They even used paintings of Old Warsaw by the Italian artist Canaletto as refernce.
On a Warsaw pavement, this sign shows where one of the walls of the Jewish Ghetto stood. Most of the Jews who were segregated here by the Nazis perished in extermination camps, such as Auschwitz.
The Lazienki Palace is situated in a lovely park, South East of the Old Town, along the Royal Road. It was built on an artifiical island on the lake, in the 18th Century, in the Classicist style.
Lazienki Palace.

The Nazis had drilled holes in the walls of this palace with the intention of blowing it up. Luckily they didn't light the fuses, and it still stands today.
This is a statue commemorating Madam Curie.

Maria Sklodowska Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist who investigated radioactivity.

She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Actually, she won it TWICE!
This is a view of the new part of Warsaw. The curved, glass structure at the bottom of the picture is a shopping mall.
This mall is very popular. It has a good food court in the upper levels. Highly recommended!
The Vistula River runs through Warsaw. The locals enjoy visiting the banks of the river for sport and recreation.
This new stadium is located on the Eastern bank of the Vistula.
And, finally, I leave you with three photos of the Wilanow Palace, which is at the South Eastern end of the Royal Road.
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