Poland, Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and its largest city. It is located on the Vistula River roughly 370 kilometers (230 mi) from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2006 was estimated at 1,700,536, with a metropolitan area of approximately 2,600,000.

Warsaw gave its name to the Warsaw Pact, Warsaw Convention, Treaty of Warsaw and the Warsaw Uprising.

Geography

Warsaw straddles the Vistula River. It is located in the heartland of the Masovian Plain, and its average altitude is 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level, although there are some hills (mostly artificial) located within the confines of the city.

Warsaw's climate is continental humid. The average temperature is -2 °C (28 °F) in January and 18 °C (64 °F) in July. Temperatures may often reach 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer. Yearly rainfall averages 680 millimeters (26.8 in), the most rainy month being July

History

The first fortified settlements on the site of today's Warsaw were Bródno (9th/10th century) and Jazdów (12th/13th century). After Jazdów was raided, a new similar settlement was established on the site of a small fishing village called Warszowa. In the beginning of the 14th century it became one of the seats of the Dukes of Masovia, becoming the capital of Masovia in 1413 .

Due to its central location between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's capitals of Kraków and Vilnius, Warsaw became the capital of the Commonwealth and at the same time of the Polish Crown in 1596, when King Sigismund III Vasa moved the court from Kraków.

Following the repeated violations of the Polish constitution by the Russians, the 1830 November Uprising broke out. However, the Polish-Russian war of 1831 ended in the uprising's defeat and in the curtailment of the Kingdom's autonomy.

Warsaw flourished in the late nineteenth century under Mayor Sokrates Starynkiewicz (1875–92), a Russian-born general appointed by Tsar Alexander III.

By July, 1944, the Red Army was deep into the Polish territory, pursuing the Germans toward Warsaw. Knowing that Stalin was hostile to the idea of an independent Poland, the Polish government-in-exile based in London gave orders to the underground Home Army (AK) to try to seize the control of Warsaw from the Nazis just before the Red Army arrives.

In 1995 the Warsaw Metro opened, and with the entry of Poland into the European Union in 2004, Warsaw is currently experiencing the biggest economic boom of its history.

Demographics

Warsaw has historically been a destination of internal and foreign immigration, especially from Eastern Europe. For nearly 300 years it was known as the Paris of Eastern Europe. Demographically it was the most diverse city in Poland, with as much as 20% of its population being either Jewish Poles or foreign born.

Economy

In 2007 Warsaw was ranked the 67th world's most expensive city to live in. It was classified as a gamma world city (also known as a 'minor world city') on par with cities such as Rome and Beijing by Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group and Network from Loughborough University.

Culture

From 1833 to the outbreak of World War II, Plac Teatralny (Theatre Square) was the country's cultural hub and home to the various theatres.

Nearby, in Ogród Saski (Saxon Garden), the Summer Theatre was in operation from 1870 to 1939, and in the inter-war period, the theatre complex also included Momus, Warsaw's first literary cabaret, and Leon Schiller's musical theatre Melodram.

Warsaw also attracts many young and off-stream directors and performers who add to the city's theatre culture.

Transport

Although many streets were widened, and new ones created, during rebuilding of Warsaw in 1950s, the city is currently plagued with traffic problems. Public transport in Warsaw is ubiquitous, serving the city with buses, tramways, and metro.
Airports
Warsaw has one airport, Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (usually referred to as Okecie airport), located just 10 kilometers (6 mi) from the city centre. With over 70 international and domestic flights a day and with over 8,270,000 passengers served in 2006, it is by far the biggest airport in Poland.
Public transport
Public transport in Warsaw includes, buses, streetcars, metro and regional rail The first three are operated by the ZTM (Zarzad Transportu Miejskiego, the Warsaw Transport Authority). There are also some suburban bus lines run by private operators.
Buses
Bus service covers the entire city, with approx. 170 routes totalling about 2,603 kilometers (1,617 mi) in length, and with some 1,600 vehicles. Between midnight and 5 am the city and suburbs are served by night lines.
Railway
The first railway opened in Warsaw in 1845 (the Warsaw-Vienna Railway). Nowadays Warsaw is one of the main railway hubs in Poland.

The main railway station is Warszawa Centralna serving both domestic traffic to almost every major city in Poland, and international connections mainly to Germany, Czech Republic and former Soviet Union countries.