Warsaw, Poland in October 2009. The document provides details about landmarks and historical sites in Warsaw related to World War 2 and the Polish resistance, including the Warsaw Uprising Museum which commemorates the 1944 uprising against the Nazis, the former Jewish Ghetto where the Ghetto Uprising of 1943 took place, and monuments to those who perished fighting the Nazis and later in Soviet prisons and gulags. It also mentions reconstructed areas of Old Town Warsaw and sites along the Royal Way such as the Royal Castle, Radziwill Palace, and the Palace of Culture and Science built by Stalin in the 1950s.

1. Warsaw, Poland October 2009

2. Modern Warsaw NowySwiat

3. Intersection of NowySwiat and “Jerusalem Avenue” Looking towards a fake palm tree and the former Communist Party HQ

5. Warsaw Uprising Museum – commemorates the 1944 uprising against the Nazis by the Polish Resistance movement, an underground army called the Polish Home Army. Operation Burza was an offensive coordinated with the Soviet Red Army in various battles throughout Poland.

6. German-built bunker to defend strategic locations in Warsaw, captured by the Home Army during the uprising.

7. B-24 used for surveillance of Warsaw by the Allies

8. Symbol of the Home Army

10. Working café and exhibit of Varsovian daily life during the uprising

11. Former Jewish Ghetto Ghetto Heroes Square – commemorates the Ghetto Uprising of 1943 vs. the Nazis

12. Bunker that served as HQ for ghetto uprising, where they died and are still buried.

13. Memorial to the Jews of Warsaw, who were forced onto trains to Auschwitz on this spot.

14. Ade and his wife gave me a personal tour of the former ghetto

15. A new monument to those who perished in Soviet prisons and gulags

16. Poland’s Supreme Court

17. Warsaw Uprising Monument

20. NoweMiasto (New Town – built 15th century)

21. Warsaw’s Old Town – rebuilt after WW2

22. Old Town Market Square

26. Mermaid – mythical defender of Warsaw

29. Royal Castle

30. Castle Square

33. Best pierogi of the trip – meat and sausage stuffed Polish dumplings

34. The Royal Way

35. Outside Radziwill Palace – home to Poland’s President

36. Radziwill Palace

37. Pilsudski Square

38. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

39. A result of Poland’s flat geography sandwiched between Germany and Russia, the tomb commemorates far more wars than the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C.

40. Saxon Garden

43. Church of the Holy Cross – Home to composer Chopin’s heart

44. Emil Wedel’s Chocolate Shop – Poland’s premier chocolate

45. A Wedel specialty – real hot chocolate (actual melted chocolate)

46. Royal Way

47. Palace of Culture and Science – a gift from Stalin in the 1950s

48. A reminder of how beloved the Home Army is to Varsovians even today – recent graffiti of the Home Army symbol