First Day in Warsaw

Our first day of touring in Warsaw was focused mainly on the general culture and secular sights. Not far from the hotel and dominating much of the skyline was the huge Palace of Culture, erected by Stalin as his gift to the city. It was chosen to be built rather than a subway system. Some say the best view of the city is from this palace since when one is inside you are unable to see it. Our guide for the day was Renata. Our first stop was the large Lazienki Park in which is a small palace formerly used for the king. Outside the park gate through which we entered was a statue of General Josef Pilsudski, a great hero of Poland during the interwar period in the early 19th century. We used the steps of his monument to take a group picture.
Near the park was the former Polish Presidential Palace. During Lech Walesa’s years as president, he decided this building was too small and moved to a larger palace. Traffic made it extremely difficult to hear the guide but when the leaf blowers began their work in the palace yard, hearing the guide’s explanations was impossible. Upon entering the park we came upon a lovely area with a rose garden and a monument for Chopin. During the summer Chopin concerts are held. When it rains the piano is put under a tent. At this spot we saw one of a number of specially designed granite benches to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Chopin. By pressing the button on the bench one hears a short excerpt of his music. The seat contained a map where one could find other such benches throughout the city.
The walk through the park was highlighted by an Orangerie (orange orchard), a royal palace of Stanislaw Augur Ponuiatowski, Poland’s last monarch, and other royal buildings, fountains, ponds and statues. One building of interest had four facades each exactly the same as the others. From the park we rode around the city with Renata pointing out buildings of note. We passed a statue of Charles DeGaulle considered a friend of the Polish people. Eventually we came to the old town area.
During WWII almost all of Warsaw was destroyed by the Nazis. Eighty per cent of the buildings throughout the city were built after the war. The old town area was rebuilt in its originals style and finished in 1962. This reconstruction was done so well that it became a UNESCO World Heritage site, even though the town is a “copy”.
Next we visited inside the Royal Castle on the edge of Old Town. It was rebuilt between 1971 and 1984 at a tremendous cost. Furniture, accessories and lighting had to be reconstructed or were accumulated from other countries. There were many original paintings that actually survived because caretakers removed them before the Nazis had a chance to confiscate or destroy them. They were hidden in various locations including the basement of the National Museum, which one would think to be too obvious a hiding place. Wandering through the rooms of the royal residence we were inundated with detailed explanations of the furniture and artwork. One highlight for me was finding a bust of the nobleman, Ioannes Zamoyski. Karen Reese, Temple Sinai’s office manager’s maiden name is Zamoyski. We promised to look for any signs of her family heritage which includes a palace that we were unable to visit. The bust was the best we could do.
Upon leaving the castle we walked around the old town. In the central square was a statue of Syrena, the symbol of Warsaw, a mermaid who protects the city. To our surprise, on her shield was the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. It seemed quite fitting. After a short break for lunch we visited an imposing monument commemorating the 1944 Polish uprising against the Nazis. This revolt was at the end of the war by the Polish resistance movement whose symbol looks like a “P” on an anchor- etched on the columns behind the monument. The Russian army was on the eastern edge of the city but held back, leaving the Polish resistance vulnerable to the Nazi killing machine in Poland. During that time the Nazis were able to defeat the resistance and then destroy most of the city as an act of brutal vengeance. Some estimate as much as 90% of the city was leveled to the ground.
For our final stop of the day we visited the Emanuel Ringelbaum Jewish Historical Institute. We began with a short documentary movie about the Warsaw Ghetto. Even after being in the camps, this movie added more disturbing images of the Nazi barbarity. Displayed on the wall was an interactive map of cities, towns and shtetls that were once home to more than 3.5 million Jews. The Institute featured an exhibit and a small bookstore. We met a gentleman there, Yale Reiner, who helps people trace family roots. His contact information is familyheritage@jhi.pl. The Institute is located perpendicular to the site of the once Great Synagogue in Warsaw, now taken up by a high rise bank.
In the evening we gathered in the hotel lobby before heading to a private Chopin recital. Janusz, our tour leader and chaperone for the entire trip, won over all the women as he presented a red rose to each and every one. The concert was held at a musical library building. The pianist , an instructor at the Academy of Music and frequent concertizer was dynamic, and presented exciting renditions of the chosen pieces. The more musically knowledgeable members of the group, including Barbara Dechario, commented on the interpretation of the music as very different from how Chopin is played in the United States. At intermission we were offered glasses of champagne which added to the lovely ambience of the evening.
Our evening concluded with a group dinner at a typical Polish restaurant, Chiopskie Jadlo. It had a rustic atmosphere, and we sat at three long tables, prepared family style. The first course: herring prepared two different ways with bread. The vegetarians were offered slices of fried goat cheese. The main course: platters of various meats and polish specialties such as stuffed cabbage,piogies and potato pancakes. The amounts were overwhelming and the group may have dented the food but it looked like over 2/3 of it was left over. We were sorry for not being able to finish it and hoped that it will somehow be used.