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| (Prof Pisarski has shared verbally a Soviet-era story of the nightclub in Kongresowa in the foreground) |
When is a palace not a palace? When it is a gift from Stalin. Completed in 1955, the Palace of Culture and Science was the only building to break the horizon in Warsaw following World War II. Fortunately, post-war development now finally dwarfs this Soviet-era souvenir.
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| Skyscrapers abound in Warsaw. |
We arrived in Warsaw in mid-afternoon and therefore we only had a walking tour to Old Town. While this was not directly connected with the Holocaust, we will point out how Warsaw was flattened by the Germans and eventually overrun by the Russians so there is ample connection with World War II and the Cold War.
There is only one section of original city wall remaining in Warsaw. This Barbakan was erected in the mid-1500s to replace an older version, and was rebuilt again in the 1950s following the city's destruction in World War II.
Native son Mikolaj Kopernik (Nicholas Copernicus) is commemorated outside the Polish Academy of Sciences building.
Janusz Korczak was the pen name of pediatrician Henryk Goldszmit. He was also an author and founder of two orphanages in Warsaw. He died at Treblinka in 1942 with 200 orphans from Warsaw, giving his life so the children would be comforted as they were killed. Korczak was offered freedom but refused to allow the children to suffer alone.
Have you heard Warsaw was completely flattened by Hitler's orders in 1944? Every building you see in this photo is a reconstruction. Much attention to detail was given as old paintings and photographs were utilized to recreate these are true-to-original as possible. The Royal Castle, right, is now a museum celebrating 70 years since reconstruction.
So now that we know something about Warsaw, I'll leave you with sights of the illuminations. Poland celebrates the Christmas season from December 24, Christmas Eve, to February 2, Candlemas. Therefore, we are in mid-Christmas season during our trip. Enjoy the views.
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