Capital city is the showpiece of every country. Undeniably, Warsaw is the showpiece of Poland. However, not everyone knows that it is the third capital of Poland.
THE FIRST CAPITAL OF POLAND AND THE EMERGENCE OF POLAND AS A STATE
The first capital was Gniezno, a small town near Poznań. The origin of Gniezno is connected with the legend of the establishment of the Polish state, and it takes its name after „gniazdo“, which means „nest“. In that very area was the beautiful and fertile land and the eagle nest described in the legend, which encouraged Lech (progenitor of the Poles) to stop his wanderings and set up a settlement.
Naturally, that is only a legend, but there must be a grain of truth in it. Anyone going to Gniezno must definitely go and see the Cathedral with the famous Bronze Doors bulit in the 12th century, which show the episodes from the life of St. Adalbert.
THE CAPITAL OF POLISH CULTURE
The second capital of Poland was the city very well known to tourists, Kraków. Officially, Kraków served as the capital from the 11th century up to 1795, although it ceased to be the residence of the kings much earlier, in 1611.
Kraków, located on the Vistula river in the south of Poland, is not only one of the oldest cities, but it is also a place where tourists will definitely have no chance to put away their cameras. You can visit the Wawel Castle (the former Royal Castle), the beautiful Sukiennice (Cloth Hall), the picturesque Kazimierz (the former Jewish Quarter) and the Social Realist suburb of Nowa Huta. You should go for a stroll in Planty, go to one of the numerous Kraków theatres to see a good play, in Polish, naturally. Kraków has always claimed the name of “the Capital of Polish Culture”.
MOVING THE CAPITAL TO WARSAW
In 1596 King Sigismund III Vasa decided to move his court from Kraków to Warsaw. The official reason behind the decision was the fire in the Wawel Castle. Interestingly, for the next 200 years Warsaw was formally only the Residential City of His Majesty, while in fact it served as the capital city.
Nowadays Warsaw is a city full of contrasts. On the one hand, it is a modern metropolis with skyscrapers, whose inhabitants live the metropolitan life; on the other hand, there are picturesque old houses, narrow streets of the Old Town, the Royal Castle and the Wilanów Palace. Warsaw is not only a business and trade centre and a place frequently visited by tourists. It is also teeming with cultural and student life. Warsaw is the place where many foreigners come to learn Polish. Whether you are a tourist or a student, you should go to one of the museums, go for a walk in Łazienki park, and should you get lost, remember to look up to find your way thanks to the Palace of Culture towering over the city.
