Warsaw

Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa), in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. It is located on the Vistula river roughly 370 km from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2006 was estimated at 1,700,536, with a metropolitan area of approximately 2,900,000 to 3,000,000 people. The city area amounts to 516.9 km˛, with an agglomeration of 6100.43 km˛ (Warsaw Metro Area - Obszar Metropolitalny Warszawy). Warsaw is the 7th biggest city in the European union.

The city, also the capital of the Masovian Voivodeship, is home to many industries, including manufacturing, steel, electrical engineering, and automotive; it features 66 institutions of higher learning, including Warsaw University, Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw School of Economics, Agriculture University and a Medical Academy. Warsaw is home to over 30 theatres, including the National Theatre and Opera and the National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Warsaw is internationally notable for giving its name to the Warsaw Pact, Warsaw Convention and the Treaty of Warsaw.

Warsaw straddles the Vistula river, approximately 370 kilometers (229.9 mi) from both the Carpathian mountains and Baltic Sea. It is located in the heartland of the Masovian Plain, and its average altitude is 100 meters (328.1 ft) above sea level, although there are some hills (mostly artificial) located within the confines of the city.

Warsaw's climate is continental humid. The average yearly temperature is 8 degrees Celsius (−2 °C (28.4 °F) in January and +18 °C (64.4 °F) in July). Temperatures may often reach +30 °C (86 °F) in the summer. Yearly rainfall averages at 680 millimetres (26.8 in), the most rainy month being July. There are many museums and art galleries in Warsaw, most notable are the Muzeum Narodowe, The Polish Aviation Museum, Zachęta Art Gallery, Center for Contemporary Art, Museum of the Polish Army. The biggest of them, the Warsaw National Museum has numerous divisions located in many parts of Warsaw, most notably in the Royal Castle and the Wilanów Palace.

Since 2004, a Warsaw Uprising Museum has been open to the public.

• Although Warsaw is a reasonably new city, it has a lot of tourist attractions. Apart from the Old Town quarter, carefully reconstructed after World War II, each borough has something to offer. Among the most notable landmarks of the Old Town are the Royal Castle, King Zygmunt's Column, Square Market, and the barbican. • Further south is the so-called Royal Road, with lots of notable classicist palaces, the Presidential Palace and the Warsaw University campus. Also the popular Nowy Świat Street is worth mentioning. • Warsaw's oldest public park, the Ogród Saski, is located within 10 minutes distance of the old town. Another such oasis of silence and serenity is the Powązki Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Europe, filled with hundreds of precious sculptures, some of them by the most renowned artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Since it serves the religious communities of Warsaw, be it Catholics, Jews, Muslims or Protestants, it is often called a necropolis. Nearby is the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. • To the north of the city center the museum of the former Warsaw Ghetto is located, which is also a popular locality often visited by foreign tourists. Also the borough of Żoliborz is famous for its architecture from the 1920s and 1930s. Between Żoliborz and the Vistula the Warsaw Citadel is located, a priceless monument of 19th century military architecture. Also the former royal residencec of king Jan III Sobieski in Wilanów and Belweder are notable for their baroque architecture and beautiful parks. • However, Warsaw is perhaps the most famous for several buildings from modern history. Apart from the Palace of Culture and Science, a Soc-realist skyscrapper located exactly in the city center, the Stadion Dziesięciolecia which is the biggest market in Europe also attracts many tourists. For those who seek dramatic contrasts the borough of Central Praga is often the best choice. Called by the Varsovians the Bermuda Triangle for high crime rate, it is a place where almost completely demolished houses stand right next to modern apartment buildings and shopping malls. Also a Constitution Square with its monumental socrealistic architecture should be mentioned. • Ulica Kubusia Puchatka is a Warsaw street named after Winnie-the-Pooh. • The modern architecture in Warsaw is represented by: o Metropolitan Office Building at Pilsudski's square by sir Norman Foster o Warsaw University Library (BUW) by Marek Budzyński and Zbigniew Badowski with a garden on the roof and beautiful viev on the Vistula river o Rondo 1 office building by SOM o Zlote Tarasy retail and business center