Showing 1-11 of 11 results
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Carmelite Church
The former Carmelite Church escaped the ravages of war and, like nearby St Anne's Church, has 18th-century fittings, including the high altar designed by Tylman van Gameren.
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Church of the Nuns of the Holy Sacrament
Even by Polish standards, there are a lot of churches in the New Town area. Of the six, the Church of the Nuns of the Holy Sacrament is the most intriguing; the work of prominent architect Tylman van Gameren, it has a fine Baroque exterior and clean white interior.
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Evangelical Church
The circular dome of the 18th-century Evangelical Church proudly overlooks a busy junction. The dome is in fact the largest in Warsaw, and the church is renowned for its excellent acoustics and is the venue for a variety of musical events.
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Former Jewish District
The vast area of the Mirów and Muranów districts was once predominantly inhabited by Jewish Poles. During WWII the Nazis established a Jewish ghetto in the area, but razed it to the ground after crushing the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in April 1943. A walking tour of Jewish sites is detailed in the free pamphlet, Jewish Warsaw , available from tourist offices.
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Holy Cross Church
Because it's so close to Warsaw University, the Holy Cross Church has witnessed more student demonstrations and tear gas than any other church in Poland. During the Warsaw Rising, it was the site of heavy fighting between the insurgents and the Nazis. It was seriously damaged, but some original Baroque altarpieces have survived and adorn its interior. Note the epitaph to Frédéric Chopin on the second pillar on the left-hand side of the nave. It covers an urn containing the composer's heart, brought from Paris after Chopin's death and placed here in accordance with his will.
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Nożyk Synagogue
Plac Grzybowski is the centrepiece of Warsaw's current Jewish community. Here, behind the Teatr Żydowski (Jewish Theatre; ) is the Nożyk Synagogue, the city's only synagogue to survive WWII. Built between 1898 and 1902 in neo-Romanesque style, its interior features heavy metal chandeliers and tall vaulted colonnades. It's still used for religious purposes, and you may catch children reading from the Torah during the day.
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Orthodox Church
Close to the city's zoo, rising from behind a clump of trees just off Praga's main thoroughfare Al Solidarności, are five onion-shaped domes of the Orthodox Church. Built in the 1860s in Russo-Byzantine style, its small nave still retains original Byzantine portraits and gold upon gold.
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Polish Army Field Cathedral
Ul Długa leads southwest from ul Freta (the New Town's main street) past the Polish Army Field Cathedral, the soldiers' place of worship. There's no homage to the glory of war here; inside the main doors, which feature bas-reliefs of major battles fought by Polish forces, is a gruesome crucifix, with heads protruding from solid metal blocks on all sides of a ruined Jesus. Inside there are numerous plaques to fallen Polish soldiers.
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St Alexander's Church
As the Royal Way leaves ul Nowy Świat it becomes Al Ujazdowskie, a wide, tree-lined boulevard with many an old mansion now home to embassies of foreign powers. Near its northern section the road passes through Plac Trzech Krzyży (Three Crosses Sq), a square centred on 19th-century St Alexander's Church, which is modelled on the Roman Pantheon.
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St Anne's Church
This wide boulevard of ul Krakowskie Przedmieście, running from Castle Sq to Nowy Świat, is the start of the Royal Way. It begins proudly with St Anne's Church , which is arguably the most ornate church in the city. It miraculously escaped major damage during WWII, which explains why it sports an original trompe l'œil ceiling, a Rococo high altar and gorgeous organ.
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St John's Cathedral
Back towards Castle Sq stands the restored neo-Gothic façade of St John's Cathedral. The oldest of Warsaw's churches, it was built at the beginning of the 15th century on the site of a wooden church, and subsequently remodelled several times.
Showing 1-11 of 11 results
