The central campus of Warsaw University was founded in 1816, although its oldest building, the Kazimierz Palace, dates from 1634. With its leafy avenues and smiling students, it appears a peaceful place, but like any good university it has been a breeding ground for independent thought and the site of many student protests.
Warsaw University
Warsaw
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
6 MILES
Warsaw’s top palace, 10km south of the city centre, was commissioned by King Jan III Sobieski in 1677. It has changed hands several times over the…
0.73 MILES
For over 60 years this socialist realist palace has dominated central Warsaw. A ‘gift of friendship’ from the Soviet Union, it was completed in 1955 and…
0.58 MILES
This remarkable copy of the original castle blown up by the Germans in WWII is filled with authentic period furniture and original works of art…
1.61 MILES
This exceptional museum, housed in a former tram power station and its surrounding grounds, traces the history of the city's heroic but doomed uprising…
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
1.24 MILES
Housed in one of Warsaw's best examples of contemporary architecture, this award-winning museum documents 1000 years of Jewish history in Poland. The…
0.47 MILES
The fully interactive, push-the-buttons-and-see-what-happens Copernicus Science Centre pulls off that tricky feat of being both hugely fun and educational…
1.72 MILES
Pronounced wah-zhen-kee, this beautiful park includes manicured gardens, an ornamental lake, wooded glades and strutting peacocks. Once a hunting ground,…
0.31 MILES
This multimedia museum within the baroque Ostrogski Palace showcases the work of Poland’s most famous composer. You’re encouraged to take your time…
Nearby Warsaw attractions
0.05 MILES
Today housing the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, Czapski Palace, completed in 1705, is regarded as one of the best examples of rococo architecture in the…
0.05 MILES
Since 2001 Wojciech Fibak has been sharing his private collection of Polish modern and contemporary art at this small but packed gallery space. Among the…
0.06 MILES
Of Warsaw's many impressive churches, this is the one most visitors want to see – not so much to admire the fine baroque altarpieces that miraculously…
4. Monument to Nicolaus Copernicus
0.09 MILES
Standing in front of the Staszic Palace, which houses the Polish Academy of Sciences, is this 1830 bronze statue of the great astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik …
0.11 MILES
Childhood prodigy Frédéric Chopin regularly played the organ at this church, completed in 1761, which is a prime example of rococo architecture. The…
0.13 MILES
In its 380-year history this building, which is currently part of Warsaw University, has been remodelled several times. In the early 19th century it…
7. Smoleńsk Air Disaster Monument
0.2 MILES
Dubbed 'the stairway to heaven', this black granite monument commemorates the 2010 plane crash in Smolensk, in which 96 people died, including the then…
0.24 MILES
Warsaw's largest public square once stood in front of the Saxon Palace, destroyed during WWII. The only part of the palace that remains is the Tomb of the…