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• 30.04.2012- Warsaw Architecture

  Architecture
  
  Warsaw's palaces, churches and mansions display a richness of color and architectural details. Buildings are representatives of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. The city has wonderful examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque and neoclassical periods, all of which are located within easy walking distance of the town centre.
  
  Gothic architecture is represented in the majestic churches but also at the burgher houses and fortifications. The most significant buildings are St. John's Cathedral (14th century), the temple is a typical example of the so-called Masovian gothic style, St. Mary's Church (1411), a town house of Burbach family (14th century), Gunpowder Tower (after 1379) and the Royal Castle Curia Maior (1407-1410). The most notable examples of Renaissance architecture in the city are the house of Baryczko merchant family (1562), building called "The Negro" (early 17th century) and Salwator tenement (1632). The most interesting examples of mannerist architecture are the Royal Castle (1596-1619) and the Jesuit Church (1609-1626) at Old Town. Among the first structures of the early baroque the most important are St. Hyacinth's Church (1603-1639) and Zygmunt's Column (1644).
  
  Building activity occurred in numerous noble palaces and churches during the later decades of the 17th century. One of the best examples of this architecture are Krasinski Palace (1677-1683), Wilanów Palace (1677-1696) and St. Kazimierz Church (1688-1692). The most impressive examples of rococo architecture are Czapski Palace (1712-1721), Palace of the Four Winds (1730s) and Visitationist Church (façade 1728-1761). The neoclassical architecture in Warsaw can be described by the simplicity of the geometrical forms teamed with a great inspiration from the Roman period. Some of the best examples of the neoclassical style are the Palace on the Water (rebuilt 1775-1795), Królikarnia (1782-1786), Carmelite Church (façade 1761-1783) and Evangelical Holy Trinity Church (1777-1782). The economic growth during the first years of Congress Poland caused a rapid rise architecture. The Neoclassical revival affected all aspects of architecture, the most notable are the Great Theater and buildings located at Bank Square.
  
  Exceptional examples of the bourgeois architecture of the later periods were not restored by the communist authorities after the war (like mentioned Kronenberg Palace and Insurance Company Rosja building) or they were rebuilt in socialist realism style (like Warsaw Philharmony edifice originally inspired by Palais Garnier in Paris). Despite that the Warsaw University of Technology building is the most interesting of the late 19th century architecture. Lot of the 19th century buildings is restored in Praga (Vistula's right bank), though they are in a pretty bad condition. Warsaw's municipal government authorities have decided to rebuild the Saxon Palace and the Brühl Palace, the most distinctive buildings in prewar Warsaw.
  
  Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Palace of Culture and Science , a Soc-realist skyscraper located in the city centre, and the Constitution Square with its monumental Socialist realism architecture (MDM estate). The central part of the right-bank (east) Praga borough it is a place where very run-down houses stand right next to modern apartment buildings and shopping malls.
  
  It has been said that Warsaw, together with Frankfurt, London, Paris, Moscow, Istanbul and Rotterdam is one of the tallest cities in Europe. Of the 21 tallest skyscrapers in Poland, 18 are situated in Warsaw.
  

• 30.04.2012- Transport in Warsaw

  Transport in Warsaw
  
  Of course the best way to travel by Warsaw is rent a car from Sixt. But if you like to try something different, you can use Warsaw public transport.
  
  Warsaw has seen major infrastructural changes over the past few years amidst increased foreign investment and economic growth. The city has a much improved infrastructure with new roads, flyovers, bridges, etc.
  
  Warsaw lacks a good circular road system and most traffic goes directly through the city centre. Public transport in Warsaw includes buses, trams (streetcars), Metro, light rail Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa line, urban railway Szybka Kolej Miejska and regional rail Koleje Mazowieckie (Mazovian Railroads). The buses, trams, urban railway and Metro are managed by Zarzadu Transportu Miejskiego.
  
  The regional rail and light rail is operated by Polish State Railways. There are also some suburban bus lines run by private operators. Bus service covers the entire city, with approximately 170 routes totalling about 2,603 kilometres long, and with some 1,600 vehicles.
  
  Currently, the Warsaw Trams company runs 863 cars on over 240 kilometres of tracks. Twenty-odd lines run across the city with additional lines opened on special occasions (such as All Saints' Day).
  
  The first section of the Warsaw Metro was opened in 1995 initially with a total of 11 stations. It now has 21 stations running a distance of approximately 23 kilometres. The second line running east-west will be about 31 kilometres. The central section is now under construction and will be 6 km. long with seven stations. The main railway station is Warszawa Centralna serving both domestic traffic to almost every major city in Poland, and international connections. There are also five other major railway stations and a number of smaller suburban stations.
  

• 31.03.2012- Welcome to Warsaw!

  Warsaw is known for being a capital city of Poland. City is divided for eastern and western side by the Vistula river, which is the biggest one in Poland. There are a lot of cultural, political and economy centers with European reputation.
  
  Highly recommended places to visit are:
  
  1. Palace of Culture and Science - is the highest building in Poland. Built in three years and opened in 1955. It was built as a gift from the Soviet for the Polish Nation, the building was designed soviet architect Lev Rudniewa. Currently a resident for many companies and public institutions like: theater, cinema, sports club and academic institutions and the Polish Academy of Sciences. This object is the most recognizable symbol of Warsaw. On the view terraces at an altitude of 114 m offers a spectacular panorama of Warsaw.
  2. The Old Town - is the oldest historic part of the Warsaw. It is one of most prominent tourist attractions of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeze Gdanskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. The heart of the area is the Old Town Market Place, with its restaurants, cafés and shops. Surrounding streets feature medieval architecture such as the city walls, the Barbican and St. John's Cathedral. Warsaw's Old Town has been placed on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites as "an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century.
  3. The Lazienki Royal Garden - is a biggest park in Warsaw. The park-and-palace complex lies is situated in Downtown, on Ujazdow Avenue (Aleje Ujazdowskie). Lazienki Park was designed in the 17th century by Tylman van Gameren, in the baroque style, for Stanislaw Herakliusz Lubomirski. It took the name Lazienki ("Baths") from a bathing pavilion that was located there. North of Lazienki Park, on the other side of Agrykola Street, stands Ujazdów Castle.
  4. Bank Square - is one of that city's principal squares located in downtown. Created in the 19th century, under the Congress Kingdom, the square was designed to be one of the elegant areas of the country's capital. In the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, the buildings on the square were destroyed and the square ceased to exist. After the war, city planners reconstructed only its historic western part, reconfiguring it into a rectangle.
  5. Grand Theatre - is located on historic Theatre Square. It was founded in 1765, during the Polish Enlightenment, by that country's last monarch, Stanislaw August Poniatowski. After the building's bombing and near-complete destruction in World War II, the theatre was rebuilt, and the building reopened on November 19, 1965, after having been closed for over twenty years.
  6. Copernicus Science Centre - is one of the first institutions of its type in Poland. It include hundreds of interactive exhibits where children, young people and adults can carry out experiments demonstrating how the world around us works. The priority is on understanding the essence of phenomena, rather than on telling the story of scientific progress.
  7. and many others
  
  Beside all of this, Warsaw is the only capital in Europe which is located near the National Park so it is easy to mix a business trip with leisure stay!