A Walk Through Warsaw’s Historical Streets

As one stares at the city’s tallest building, which doesn’t allow the Poles to forget the dark days of Soviet dictator Stalin’s rule, one can’t help but wonder: ‘What were the city planners thinking? How can such incongruent structures share space on the same street?’ The traditional building was conceived as a “gift from the Soviet people to the Polish nation”, and was completed in 1955.

The structure that took three years to come up has been designed by the Soviet architect Lev Rudnev. Stalin is said to have sent his secret emissaries to study the Empire State Building in the United States, which served as its inspiration.

Architecturally, the Palace of Culture and Science is a mix of Stalinist architecture, also known as Socialist Classicism, and Polish historicism inspired by American art deco skyscrapers.

At present, it serves as the headquarters of several companies and public institutions, including cinemas, theaters, libraries, sports clubs, universities, scientific institutions and the Polish Academy of Sciences. In addition to housing offices, the Palace of Culture and Science has a huge mall that spills all the way into the huge and labyrinth-like underground network, which connects the city centre with the rest of Warsaw.

Of course, for the tourist it’s not the many malls but the quaint local markets that are the primary attraction. To pick up souvenirs from Poland, Old Town is the place to go. It has a wealth of shops and restaurants to potter around in.

Several buildings are strikingly beautiful, particularly around the Old Town Square. Here, painters, musicians and all kinds of entertainers easily mingle around with locals and sightseers alike.

A few charming eateries serve a selection of sumptuous pierogis, or Polish dumplings, which come with a variety of fillings from meat, savoury cheeses and potatoes to fruits like strawberry, apples and blueberry. They always combine well with some hot soup. Incidentally, the Poles love their soups and have a wide range to offer the hungry traveller. A hop and a skip away from Old Town is Jerusalem Alley, one of the most important streets in the city.

As apparent from its name, once upon a time this alley led to the Jewish ghetto where around 300,000 Jews had been imprisoned in a walled-off four-square-kilometre area shortly after the Nazis invaded Poland before the Second World War.

“Large Jewish families that had been rounded up by Adolf Hitler’s men were forced to live in cramped flats, which had two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bath. These were built very close to each other along paths that were so narrow that it seemed like even air had to squeeze through to make its way in,” reveals Arthur, a local guide.

Hundreds of thousands of Jews living in these inhuman conditions perished of hunger and disease. Arthur adds, “Hitler had been told that if people are not given food then they will surely die. So he made sure that each person got just 30 calories per week. But the resilience of the human spirit is so strong that people still did not succumb.

An infuriated Hitler then decided to send off bus loads from the ghetto directly to the gas chambers. They were told that they were being taken to a better place, but they knew...” In the memory of those lost lives, the Polish government has built the Polin Museum on the site of the former ghetto.

The museum features a multimedia narrative about the vibrant Jewish community that flourished in Poland for a thousand years up to the Holocaust. The building, a postmodern structure in glass, copper and concrete, has been designed by Finnish architects Rainer Mahlamäki and Ilmari Lahdelma.

Gallery after gallery tell the story of the life of the Jewish people in rich detail. The museum’s courtyard, much of which is said to have been paved with the original stones from the destroyed ghetto, has evocative murals on either side. One panel in particular is heartrending.

It depicts the capture of the Jews during the Holocaust. An old gentleman has his arm raised and seems to be protesting at the arrest. It looks like he is questioning why they are all being taken away when they are innocent law-abiding citizens. The middle-aged men and women alongside him have their heads bowed, their faces a picture of sorrow and resignation.

Then there are mothers holding on to their sons and daughters so tightly as though trying to make up for the separation that is inevitable. One small girl, not more than two or three years of age, is clutching her mother’s hand and looking straight into the eyes of the viewers with wonder.

“There were roses planted along the way to the gas chambers,” whispers Arthur, “and the child who had only lived in the ghetto had never seen flowers before. This is how the artist has captured her wonderstruck expression.” A visit to the city, if only to pay obeisance to that little girl, is a must. Warsaw is energising and emotionally draining all at once. If the street fairs, art openings and Chopin-inspired musical festivals up the fun quotient, then the city’s painful history certainly gives a lot of food for thought.