The capital of Poland. The former capital of Poland

Warsaw is the capital of Poland. It is the largest city and city in the country. After the fire in Wawel Castle, King Sigismund the Third ordered his relocation to Warsaw. This happened in 1596. The capital of Poland was actually transferred to the specified city. Nevertheless, he gained legal status only after the adoption of the Constitution of 1791.

Etymological data

Many linguists and historians are convinced that the name of the city owes its origin to the possessive adjective "Warszowa" (or "Warszewa"), formed from the name formerly known as Warcislaw.

The name was transformed from Warszewa to Warszawa in the sixteenth century. This phenomenon is associated with the peculiarities of the Mazovian dialect (it was spread exactly in the territory where the modern capital of Poland is located). Thus, the vowel letter "a" moved to "e" in the position after soft consonants (the combination "sz" at that time was soft). In the fifteenth century, combinations with the secondary "e" were in a series of dialectal, so people who adhere to literary pronunciation, replaced them with forms with "a". In the case under consideration, the capital of Poland began to be called Warsaw as a result of replacing the etymological form with a hyper-correct one.

There is a popular opinion that the version of Warszawa appeared as a result of joining the names of fishermen Wars and mermaids Sawa. The image of lovers, as the unofficial version says, became the source of the capital's name.

The most common legend about the founding of Warsaw tells of a certain prince (lord) named Kazimir. Having lost his way during the hunt, he found himself on the poor hut of a fisherman on the bank of the Vistula. There he saw a girl who had just given birth to two boys - Warsaw and Sava. Casimir agreed to become the godfather of the twins and well thanked the hosts for their hospitality. They had enough money to build another house next door. Other fishermen also began to build their huts in this place. So it was the beginning of the capital of the state.

Official symbols

The capital of Poland has its own symbol. This is the aforementioned mermaid Sava. Her image can be seen even on the coat of arms of the city. The monument in honor of the mythical creature is set on the Market Square.

The coat of arms has the form of a French shield. Its color is red. On the upper border is a ribbon with the motto, at the tongue - the Silver Cross of the Order of Military Merit.

The flag of the capital is a cloth, consisting of two identical bands of red and yellow in width.

Historical background

According to ancient documents found by archaeologists, in the tenth century there were several settlements on the territory of modern Warsaw, the most important of which were Kamion, Brodno and Jazdow. However, the first wooden structures appeared here only in the twelfth century, and stone ones - in the fourteenth century.

New time

Which capital of Poland was the center of the Masovian principality? Warsaw. Later it was considered to be the residence of Polish kings and Lithuanian princes. From 1791 to 1795, this city was the capital of the Commonwealth, from 1807 to 1813 - the Warsaw duchy, from 1815 to 1915 - the Polish kingdom.

During the occupation of 1939-1944, the country of Poland was severely damaged. The capital - Warsaw - was defeated by German bombers. The city was liberated on 17.01.1945 during the successful conduct of the Vistula-Oder operation.

After the end of the 2nd World Capital in Poland, it began to recover actively. However, only the Royal Route, the Old and New Towns were reconstructed in their historical form.

Large European cities of the late nineteenth - early twentieth century was characterized by dense buildings. They did not save it in order to improve housing hygiene in accordance with the ideological program of the pro-communist regime and the notions of modernism.

Most of the city was transformed radically. Warsaw has changed not only in town planning, but also in architectural terms.

Weather

Warsaw is characterized by a temperate continental climate with a damp warm summer and mild winters. Frosts below fifteen degrees and heat above thirty - a rarity. Autumn, as a rule, is warm and protracted, spring usually comes gradually. In a year, an average of 530 millimeters of precipitation falls.

Administrative separation

Since 2002, the capital of Poland is a district, consisting of one commune. The latter, in turn, is divided into eighteen districts (zelnits).

A bit about the chief policemen

Until 1833 the Warsaw police was one of the branches of the municipal administration of the capital, which was under the jurisdiction of the president of the country. On June 20 (the second of July in the old style) of the year, the Resolution of the Council of Management of the Polish Kingdom was issued. According to this document, the executive police were separated from the administrative police and transferred to the vice-president of the capital, which later became officially called the Warsaw Chief Policeman.

Population

The evolution and increase in the number of Warsaw residents was influenced for a long time by the fact that the city was one of the transshipment points at the intersection of trade routes and trans-European migration. This significantly affected the number and national composition of local residents. Before the formation of Warsaw as a center of services and industry, the majority of the population consisted of traders. According to the census of 1897, 34% of the residents were Jews (219,000 out of 638,000). The confusion of nationalities, ideas and trends led to the unofficial name of the capital. Poland became known thanks to the "Second Paris" - Warsaw.

Architectural appearance of the city

Modern Warsaw is a mixture of different architectural styles and directions. This is due to the difficult history of both the country and the city itself. Its adjustments brought a restorative process after World War II. The historical center of the capital - the Royal Palace - is being restored to this day. It is noteworthy that this territory is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is recognized as the personification of the thorough restoration process of the destroyed historical monument.

In the times of the Polish People's Republic in the city appeared many buildings in the style of the Stalin Empire. Some significant buildings were restored after the fall of the NDP. Nowadays, the architecture of the city is increasingly replenished with modern business centers and skyscrapers.

Transport system

The metropolitan public transport network has reached a high level of development. A large number of bus routes have been developed. Transport strictly adheres to the timetable. Periodically, low-floor buses run for disabled people.

In the city there is one branch of the subway, many tram lines. Tickets for travel can be purchased at kiosks at stops or at the driver, while they are all universal, the division by type of vehicles is not made. In the capital, a network of bicycles is developed.

The former capital of Poland

Previously, the main city of the country was considered Krakow. And even its full official name - the Metropolitan Royal City of Krakow - recalls this. Until the eighteenth century, all Polish rulers were crowned there.

A look into the past

Krakow is well located in the area where the river. The Vistula becomes navigable. Thanks to its favorable geographical position, the city rapidly expanded its positions and became rich. Boleslaw Brave founded the episcopal chair there in 1000. Counting on the support of the princes of Silesia and feeling its importance, in 1311 the Cracow Germans organized a riot against Vladislav Lokotka. The uprising was quickly suppressed, and the recalcitrant lost all their privileges and privileges.

The value of Krakow began to increase in the fourteenth century. In 1319, the incumbent governor - Vladislav First Lokotok - moved his residence there (previously it was in Gniezno). During the reign of Casimir the Great, new constructions were erected in the city, such spheres as trade and crafts were developed. In February 1386, in the former Polish capital, Jagiello was baptized. There he held a wedding with Jadwiga.

When the Jagiellons were in power, Krakow was finally consolidated in the position of the main city of the kingdom. The number of inhabitants has risen to one hundred thousand.

What was the capital of Poland in the sixteenth century? In 1596, the honorary title passed from Cracow to Warsaw. The well-being of the once richest city was slowly but surely undermined by the attacks of the enemies. In 1787 the population of Krakow was less than ten thousand people.

Twentieth Century

Until 1918, Krakow was under the jurisdiction of Austria-Hungary. 1939-1945 Are a tragic period in the history of the former capital. The Nazi invaders organized in the city of Krakow ghetto, where most of the Jews who lived mainly in the Kazimierz district were expelled. Representatives of this nationality were mercilessly exterminated in the concentration camps of Plashov and Auschwitz.

By the forces of the First Ukrainian Front in January 1945, the city was liberated from the invaders. On the eleventh of August of the same year, a Jewish pogrom took place in Krakow. During the political crisis of 1968 an anti-Semitic campaign took place. Given the above events, most of the Jews who survived the Holocaust left Poland.

Cultural Center

What is the capital in Poland now? The main city of the country is Warsaw. However, several centuries ago, the honorary title belonged to Krakow. This is why this city is still called the heart of Polish culture. Its historic center was to be destroyed during the retreat of German troops in 1945. However, as a result of the incredibly complex military operation carried out by the soldiers of the Soviet Army and groups of Polish resistance, the city survived.

Two main attractions of Krakow are located on the Wawel Hill. The first of these is the Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Vaclav. It is one of the most revered temples of the country. Earlier in it, coronations and funerals of the rulers of Poland were held. The second interesting building on the hill is the Royal Castle. Once it was the residence of the Jagiellons, Piastas and Vases. At first the castle was a rather modest small structure in the Romanesque style. Later it was repeatedly reconstructed, expanded. That is why it has characteristic features of architectural trends of many historical periods.

There is a great number of churches in Krakow. The most ancient is Maryatsky (Marian). It is widely known for its unrivaled Gothic stained glass windows. At first the building was wooden. In the thirteenth century in its place was erected a new one - in the Romanesque style, but during one of the Tatars' raids it was completely destroyed. The church was rebuilt in the fourteenth century, and already in the Gothic style.

Another attraction with world renown are the salt mine named "Magnum Sal". They are located ten kilometers from Krakow - in the town of Velichko. Anyone can visit the one-of-a-kind Salt Museum.

The famous Krakow higher educational institution is the Jagiellonian University. The certificate of its foundation was issued by Kazimir II in May, 1364. At the entrance the following motto is inscribed: "Reason wins power". In this educational institution a lot of world science was trained. Among them most often mention Nikolai Copernicus - astronomer and mathematician of the Renaissance, the author of the heliocentric system of the world; Stanislaw Lem - the most famous author of fantastic stories; John Paul II, ranked blessed.

Initially, eleven departments were formed, eight of them being law, two medical and one liberal arts. The Department of Theology appeared later, when the permission of the Pope was obtained. The university was headed by the Chancellor of the Polish Kingdom. His duties included taking care of the activities and development of the school.

Conclusion

Above we considered why and when the name of the capital changed. Poland is famous for many ancient cities, but it is in Krakow and Warsaw that the main historical sites are concentrated, and some of them are even included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.