Warsaw

Warsaw is the largest city in Poland and its capital. It located in the Masovian Voivodeship in Central Poland on the banks of the Vistula river.

Information about the earliest history of Warsaw is scare and most of it comes mainly from archaeological data. Between 9th and 11th centuries existed the settlement of Stare Bródno on the bank of the Vistula river. Since the 12th or 13th century there was also the settlements of Jazdów and Solec.

First mentions of Warsaw, as a fishing or merchant settlement appeared in the middle of the 13th century. The beginnings of Warsaw are related to the division of Poland by Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, which was meant to minimize the conflicts between the duke's sons, but lead to weakening of the country. Lithuanian raids forced the trade route between Ruthenia and the Baltic Sea to move to the left bank of Vistula. Later the Duke of Płock, and later of the whole Mazovia, built his castle here.

Founding of the city

Warsaw recieved city rights probably in the year 1300. The city has been continuously developing since then. Between 1596 and 1611 king Sigmund III Vasa moved his court from Cracow to Warsaw. Until the partitions of Poland in the 18th century Warsaw had the status of the residential city of the king. It was the first step towards it becoming the capital of Poland.

Latest History

The worst time for Warsaw was the Second World War when, as a result of the Warsaw Uprising, most of the city was destroyed. After the war Warsaw was rebuilt in a more modern style in most places. The Old Town and the surrounding areas were rebuilt more faithfully to the pre-war state thanks to old paintings of Warsaw.

Today, Warsaw is a thriving city of 2 million inhabitants and it is still developing.