The city of Warsaw, Poland is home to one of the most important historical features to the Jewish Community; the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Our time in Warsaw took us past some of the subtle memorials to this horrific part of World War II history, along with developing a better appreciation for the events surrounding this part of Jewish history.

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City Visit: Calling on the Remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Beautiful Parks of Warsaw, Poland

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This post reflects our visit to the Remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. We also visited the Old Town Warsaw Poland.

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Wandering through rebuilt Warsaw:

We based ourselves at The Hotel Bristol, A Luxury Collection Hotel near Old Town Warsaw, Poland. It was a great choice and very conveniently located. It was a less than 10 minute walk down pedestrian oriented streets to the Streets of the Old Town, Warsaw, along with being conveniently located to many other Warsaw attractions.

During our stay, we wandered through newer Warsaw. The space continued many apartment blocks reminiscent of Eastern Europe. Life in these structures is much different than mine at home and I find that this type of housing is always an interesting glimpse into Eastern European life.

There were the occasional murals to brighten up the space. This one was reminiscent of the city’s experience with World War Two.

There was also the occasional Soviet inspired structure. These look massive and daunting both at the same time. These relics look interesting in their own special way; a memory of a time past.

City Parks of Warsaw, Poland:

Ogröd Saski

During our stay, we visited many parks of Warsaw, Poland. The city is nicely set up in that there is an ample amount of green space very close to the Old Town. A brief walk from The Hotel Bristol, we found ourselves at Ogröd Saski. Ogröd Saski is a beautiful inner city park that offers a quite respite from the urban towers that surround it.

There were lots of thick forests that surrounded the park. It was exceptionally green and made for some reflective photographs.

We also wandered up to the fountain in the Saxon Garden located inside the middle of the Ogröd Saski park. There were some elegant statues, fountains and monuments worthy of a world class European park.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Near the park, there was a monument to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Polish Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was from a fallen World War I soldier. It was guarded by a ceremonial honour guards of Polish Soldiers while we visited.

About the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising:

As a piece of history refresher, The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the 1943 act of Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II to oppose Nazi Germany’s final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Majdanek and Treblinka death camps.

The uprising started on 19 April, 1943 when the ghetto refused to surrender to the SS police commander, who ordered the burning of the ghetto, block by block, ending on 16 May. A total of 13,000 Jews died, about half of them burnt alive or suffocated.

It was the largest single revolt by Jews during World War II. The Jews knew that the uprising was doomed and their survival was unlikely.  According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the uprising was “one of the most significant occurrences in the history of the Jewish people”.

Getting to the Warsaw Ghetto Remnants:

The remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising are in a non descriptive residential part of Warsaw, surrounded by commerical structures.

Visiting the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Remnants:

We also managed to get to the last remaining wall of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was a very non descriptive and subdued area, consistent with most European War Memorial attractions.

This was the wall where the German occupiers held the Polish Jewish citizens prior to taking them to the extermination camps. It’s now an understated peaceful apartment complex.

There were a few reminders of the horrors of the Jewish Extermination of the Second World War. A few churches bore reminders of the lives lost, in addition to certain monuments in select areas of Warsaw.

Returning the Old Town:

Before departing, we returned to Old Town, Warsaw for a little of Warsaw’s patio scene.

Warsaw has a terrific street patio scene. You could do some damage here on the bar circuit. Polish Vodka starts at 8.5 PLZ a shot ($2.80 USD). We had the opportunity to try a smooth Polish Vodka Martini with the Polish Zubrowka “bison vodka” (flavored from grass from the Biatowieza Forest on which the bison feed), kripnuk (a honey infused additive) and apple juice, along with the national brew.

It is a great environment after dark, as the light fades and the town streets come alive.

Of course, alcohol has to come with snacks. In this case, it’s high test sausages.

Tasting Perogies in Poland:

We also made the opportunity to taste perigees in Poland. It’s pretty simple to find a perogie restaurant and they are sprinkled throughout Old Town, Warsaw.

These are life’s travel treasures; simple food executed perfectly in their home country.

My thoughts on our City Visit to Warsaw:

Getting back to Warsaw, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. It was very relaxing, with enough to see over a 3-4 day period at a relaxed pace. Although we could have added visits to Krakow or Wroclaw, we opted for a mellow pace and enjoyed every minute of it. We’d highly recommend Warsaw for an interesting stopover on your next multi city reward ticket.

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