Old Town (Starego Miasta)The busy Old Town provides the historic focal point of Warsaw,
having been rebuilt in the original 17th and 18th Century style
following the almost total destruction of the city during the war.
The picturesque Old Market Square (Rynek) is at the centre,
surrounded by restored buildings and colourful three-storey
merchant houses with Baroque and Renaissance facades, lively
open-air restaurants, art stalls and the Historical Museum of
Warsaw. Around the two old central water pumps, the atmosphere is a
constant buzz of activity with buskers, painters and musicians
providing entertainment for the milling crowds, while around the
fringes the clattering of hooves signals the arrival of another
traditional horse-drawn carriage. Leading from the square is a
network of cobbled streets and alleyways that contain beautiful
Gothic churches and former palaces of the aristocracy. The
impressive Royal Castle was once the home of the Polish Kings and
is now a museum displaying tapestries, period f |
