Fenomen warszawskiej Starówki

• Authors: GÓRSKI KRZYSZTOF ROBERT

Title variants

The uniqueness of Warsaw’s Old Town

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

Warsaw’s Old Town is a unique place, both on the map of Poland and that of Europe. Its magic and appeal are irresistible, not only for me, but also – and I am profoundly convinced of this – for its residents and millions of Poles from around the country and the world. The rather small area comprises the historical districts of the Old and New Warsaw (present-day Old and New Towns), and a belt of urban areas surrounding the two ‘Warsaws.’ Contrary to what their names imply, both the Old and New Towns are, in fact, places that are centuries old and which used to have separate municipal identities, autonomous town halls and councils, their own specificities, and distinct coats-ofarms. Notwithstanding the fact that settlement within the present-day area of Warsaw dates back to even earlier times – present-day Stare Bródno and Ujazdów districts – the history of Warsaw proper begins with the founding of the Old and New Town. In order to discuss the historical background, it must be remembered that the New Town (formerly New Warsaw) is slightly more than 600 years old, while the Old Town (the area within the city walls, listed as a UNESCO site) is 150- -200 years older. It was to here that the Mazovian dukes of the Piast Dynasty moved the capital of their Duchy from Czersk in the early 15th century. Soon the Duke’s Castle, built on the high embankments of the Vistula River, started to be surrounded by a quickly expanding fortified settlement, rich in craftsmen’s workshops. The mother of all Warsaw churches, the St. John the Baptist Church (present-day Warsaw Cathedral), was also erected here. The area of the Castle and the Old Town witnessed most of the key events in the history of the city itself, and later of the whole country. It should be noted that the Old Town, i.e. the area delimited by the defensive walls, as well as the city section of most interest from the historical and urban planning perspective (hence its UNESCO world heritage site status), was destroyed completely during World War II and rebuilt meticulously in the post-war period. One striking fact about Warsaw’s Old Town is that it differs quite significantly from its counterparts e.g. in Kraków or Toruń. For one thing, it clearly differs in size. This can be explained by the fact that, in its early period, when Warsaw was being founded, i.e. in the Middle Ages, it was ‘merely’ a duke’s town which only later started to aspire to become the capital of the Duchy, and later of Poland. Its accelerating development caused the town to ‘spill over’ beyond the defensive walls, the earliest clear signs of which were the creation of New Warsaw at the turn of the 15th century, and the mushrooming, around Medieval Warsaw, of the a succession of noblemen’s and church settlements from the 16th century onwards. Given its small original character and size in the Middle Ages, Warsaw was unable to become the capital of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a multinational state of huge proportions, against the background of Europe at the time. It would be difficult for me to describe the rich history of Warsaw’s Old Town in detail so I will focus on several crucial – as I see them – events, which have not only determined the character of the city itself, but have been pivotal in the history of Poland as a whole. In the second half of the 16th century, Sigismund III Vasa moved the Royal Court from Cracow to Warsaw. It was in memory of his merits that his son Ladislaus IV erected the Sigismund Column, which is considered to be the oldest secular monument in Poland. The early 17th century was the zenith of the power and glory of the Commonwealth, followed by several decades of struggle with Poland’s enemies: the Turks, Tatars, Cossacks, Russians, and Swedes. The most dramatic events included a series of wars and occupations during the Swedish invasion in the mid-17th century, also referred to as the ‘Deluge,’ as well as royal elections and noblemen’s rebellions against the king, which were an expression of the nobility’s freedoms. Here again the Old Town was at the heart of events. From the 18th century onwards, Warsaw and Poland were going through some of the most momentous and difficult moments in its history – including the Constitution of 3 May 1791, enacted at the Royal Castle in Warsaw in 1791, the Kościuszko Uprising against Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia, fights against Russian troops under the command of an Old Town shoemaker, Colonel Jan Kiliński, the storming of the Russian Embassy at Miodowa Street. Throughout the period of the Partitions in the 18th century, Warsaw’s Old Town or its immediate surroundings, such as the nearby Arsenal during the 1830 November Uprising, was often at the centre of events. It was here that clashes and demonstrations were staged against the Russian partitioner. It was here that, on the eve of the January Uprising, Cossack Cavalry charged against demonstrating Poles, and it was here that people were banned from going to church. Thus we come to November 1918, when Poland regained its independence, and the Polish flag again fluttered on the tower of the Royal Castle. During the Polish- Soviet War in 1920, before crossing the former Kierbiedzia Bridge on the Vistula and rushing on across Praga to the outskirts of Warsaw to stop the Bolshevik onslaught, the regiments of volunteers were passing the Sigismund Column. Unfortunately, soon after this, on 17 September 1939, the Old Town witnessed one more tragic event – the fire of the Royal Castle, followed by the long, grim years of the German Nazi occupation, the Warsaw Uprising, and the systematic destruction of the Old Town by the Germans in its aftermath. House by house, the entire Old Town was torched and demolished, the annihilation culminating with the blowing up of the ruins of the Royal Castle. Fortunately, the history of Warsaw’s Old Town does not only consist of tragic events, but also moments of victory and hope, like the abovementioned year 1918, the post-war reconstruction of the Old Town, or youths welcoming Pope John Paul II in the Zamkowy Square and in front of St. Ann Church during his 1979 pastoral visit to Poland. It is worth elaborating a bit on the post-war reconstruction effort. The Old Town, a symbol dear to all Poles, was raised from the ruins thanks to the huge commitment, not only of the surviving residents of Warsaw and leading Polish urban planners, architects and historians, but also – and I am saying this with no exaggeration – of the entire nation. It was the restoration project, compliant with strict restoration standards that prompted UNESCO to list the Old Town as a World Heritage Site. Another reason was the fact that the Old Town is a living residential quarter, unique on account of its local community. Anyone who becomes tied in any way with the Old Town tends to identify with it very strongly and ‘settle into’ it emotionally. This was also the case in the post-war period. The newcomers, who moved in here after the war and started to live next to the few local survivors, came from all over Poland and represented different ages, educational backgrounds and professions. The mix included people active in culture and scientists, but also the builders themselves with their families. The affection for the place was manifested most strongly after Poland regained its freedom in 1989. At the time, the Old Town community teamed up and decided to establish a Residents’ Association. It was one of the earliest such initiatives in Warsaw and across the country. Initially, the people’s attention was focused on several crucial matters from the perspective of the Old Town, with some of them remaining relevant until the present day. For over 25 years, the community has been demonstrating strong commitment and unrelenting efforts. We have co-participated in addressing all the major issues relevant to the Old Town, such as its renewal and renovation, heritage and greenery conservation, transport and healthcare issues, security and urban planning, or the purchase of leasehold properties. The above, together with many other activities, brings our community together and make us ever active. The scale of the phenomenon is reflected by the fact that out of the several thousand residents of the Old Town, around 700 persons have been active in our Association at some point in its history, which translates into 10 per cent of the community. The level of public activity and enthusiasm has no match in any other place in the capital city. Finally, I would like to point out another essential issue for our community – Old Town Remembrance Day, which is our district’s annual holiday. We have been celebrating it on 13 August for over 25 years to commemorate the victims of the booby-trapped German tank, and all those fallen in the Old Town during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising – both civilians, and insurgents. Out of so many dates, the people of the Old Town chose 13 August as the day most strongly raising our awareness and testifying to our love of freedom, Poland, our City, and its heart. The heart which, as I strongly believe, is still beating in the Old Town in Warsaw.

Keywords

PL

fenomen warszawskiej Starówki; warszawska Starówka; Warszawa; Stare Miasto w Warszawie; dzieje Starego Miasta

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 2017
• Issue: Dodatek Specjalny. Dziedzictwo w Polsce.
• Pages: 156-160

Dates

published

2017

Contributors

author

GÓRSKI KRZYSZTOF ROBERT

• przewodniczący Stowarzyszenia Mieszkańców Warszawskiego Starego i Nowego Miasta,
• wiceprzewodniczący Rady Dzielnicy Śródmieście m.st. Warszawy
• Chairman of the Warsaw Old Town and New Town Residents’ Association,
• Deputy Chairman of the Śródmieście District of the Capital City of Warsaw

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247