Warsaw, Poland
July 17,2025
The Royal Route stretches from the Wilanow Palace in the south all the way to the Castle Square in the north, the entire street being on the Historic Monuments register. At the south end is a large statue of Copernicus presiding over a paved square with the solar system engraved on it.
Churches, the President’s Palace, imposing mansions and statues of heroes line the busy street. The wide pavements are lined by cafes and dotted with benches for those with weary feet.
At the north end is the Castle Square in the Old Town, I am greeted by Sigismund’s Column standing tall in the middle. Erected in 1644, it commemorates King Sigismund’s move of the capital from Krakow to Warsaw. Behind it I see the red façade of the Royal Castle, re-incarnated as a museum. Across the busy highway is the gigantic St. Anne’s church.
There are lanes leading off from the cobble-stoned square with the usual row houses and every other building is a church. The old moat around the castle is a park of sorts and above it is a broken section of the old wall. The red of the wall makes a striking note against the green and gold of spires of St. Martin’s church and St. John’s Basilica.
I wander on further north and come to the Warsaw Barbican at the edge of the old and new towns. Originating as a part of the city wall that once encircled Warsaw, by the time it was completed in the 14th century CE, it served negligible purpose. By the 18th century it has been partially dismantled. Today it serves as a backdrop for the mandatory selfies and an entryway into the New Town.
More cobble-stoned streets dotted with plazas. More souvenir shops and more cafes. And most definitely more churches. The Church of Holy Spirit, St. Hyacinth’s and the Monastery complex of Sisters of the Sacrament are within a block or two of each other. Around the corner is the Roman Catholic parish of St. Catherine with the church of St. Francis around another corner.
Not far to the west is the modern-looking Supreme Court with its distinctive vertical pillars stretching across a busy thoroughfare. But just across the street is the old Krasinski Palace, rebuilt after WWII and now called the Palace of Commonwealth. Heading south again, at the intersection of busy streets is the Monument to Heroes of Warsaw. Set atop a tall pillar, the image is of a recumbent woman who rises, swinging a sword overhead.
I wander off to the east, down the long boulevard that lines the Vistula river. Between a pair bridges is a stretch with sand brought in for a make-believe beach. And there are the deck chairs again! The embankment has steps built onto it, apparently a favorite spot to congregate at sunset. At the end is a statue of a mermaid with a sword and shield, the city’s coat of arms. There are several tales about her, one of which runs:
A mermaid had swum up the Vistula river and taken up residence near the old town. She was trapped by a rich merchant but hearing her cries, the local fishermen rescued her. Ever since then a mermaid wielding a sword and a shield has been ready to protect the city and its residents.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 