North Downtown – The Warsaw Uprising 1944
Warsaw’s Downtown was involved in the Rising 1944 fighting from the very begining until its last days and the capitulation. It was a very heart of the city with two skyscrapers hovering it – the Prudential building and famous PAST. On the first day Polish flag waved from Prudential roof. The PKO building became HQ of the Warsaw Rising operation. The “Palladium” theater played uprising chronicles. All of those happened just few steps from front line on the Al. Jerozolimskie street.
The tour will take you throught almost entire northern downtown. We will be able to see areas where heavy fighting took place, trying to find traces of what happened there. We will also find out which parts of the city survived the war and learn about those that did not.
Quick Overview
The tour is located in the very heart of Warsaw – its downtown. It usually takes 2-3 hours to complete the full circle and visit all the places of interest. Should you feel tired, we can cut it shorter or quicker if you wish.
This tour does not contain paid entrances. All attractions are free. Some restrictions may apply in sacral objects, eg. taking photos during an ongoing ceremony etc.
Tour Details
- Points of Interest: 20 stops
- Duration: 2-3 hours
- Availability: Mon-Sun, 9 am-8 pm
- Transportation: On foot
- Price: €15/person
Tour’s Main Attractions
First Warsaw Skyscraper – Prudential
Prudential is a Warsaw skyscraper built between 1931 and 1934 in the Art Deco style as the base for British Prudential Insurance. Built using a steel framework it was the tallest building in pre war Warsaw. The building, designed by Marcin Weinfeld, included office space on lower stories and luxurious apartments further up. The steel framework, innovative at the time, was designed by Stefan Bryła and Wenczesław Poniż.
Emil Wedel’s Chocolate Store
In 1893 Emil Wedel built a tenement at Szpitalna street in Warsaw. Since then on the building delights with its artistic decor and beautifully furnished interior in which one will find baroque stuccoworks, cristal mirrors, mahogany furniture and old drawings and pictures. A century ago, Emil Wedel opened a manufacture of chocolate in the back of the building and brand-name shop and Chocolate Lounges – in the front.
Jabłkowski Brothers Store
The Warsaw-based store was the largest shop in Poland and both stores were considered to be among the most luxurious and reputable in Poland, much like their foreign counterparts, Galeries Lafayette, Harrods or Selfridges. There were tourist attractions of both cities. The company dealt with garments, underwear, textiles, silk, bedding, china, perfumes, as well as shoes, furs and articles for daily use. In addition, both stores housed art galleries and small cinemas.
PAST Building in Warsaw
Polish Telephone Join-stock Company (PAST) was a Polish telephone operator in the period between World War I and World War II. It is notable for its main headquarters in Warsaw, which at the time of its construction was the first and tallest skyscraper in the Russian Empire and the tallest building of Warsaw. The fight for the building during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 also added to the legend of the place. It was captured by Polish insurgents of AK battalion “Kiliński” after 20 days of bloody fighting.