Plenty to Do

While this is my second time living outside the US, it is my first living in a national capital. Having lived in New York for most of my life, I am a city person and one of the things I like about cities is the variety of culture available. While I might not take advantage of all of it, I like knowing it's there when I want it.

As I have written before, my image of Poland before I visited a few years back was tainted by cold-war images of drab communist life but with classical music. Some Polish films I have seen (such as The Decalogue) didn't present a much different picture. Like I am sure many people believe (including people in Krakow), I did not think of Warsaw as a place with a lot of things to do.

I was pleasantly surprised on my first visit, though. As a typical tourist, I spent a lot of those few days visiting the highlights of the Royal Castle, the Warsaw Uprising Museum and Wilanow Palace. I enjoyed all three of those, and have been back to each since living here, feeling rewarded by the return visit.

The Castle is a recreation, having been set bombed by the German army when Poland was first invaded in 1939 and then blown up after the Warsaw Uprising. Rebuilding did not begin until the 1970s (castles don't square well with Communism) and wasn't reopened until 1984, although some of the reconstruction is continuing.

Castle Square

Part of the interior

The Uprising museum has an overwhelming collection of information and artifacts about the lead up to World War II, the German occupation, what led people to revolt and what happened when they did. It's a fascinating place and my only criticism is that it helps to know something about it before you go in, There is so much there that multiple visits aren't wasted since there is too much to see in one.

Wilanow was built for King John III Sobieski toward the end of the 17th century and, while damaged during the war, it was not demolished. After renovations and recovery of looted artwork, it was reopened to the public in 1962. You can tour the (former) royal residence, there are gardens and a park adjacent, and there is a poster museum (apparently the first of its kind) in one of the outbuildings.

Wilanow Palace

Part of the Gardens

Those are the obvious places to visit, but since I moved here, I have discovered a lot of other things as well.

The Grand Opera house near the Old Town has the National Opera and the National Ballet. The exterior of the opera house was reconstructed after the war, but the interior is clearly Communist era. In the fall, I saw a Polish production of Madame Butterfly that I really enjoyed and learned that it had been presented at Lincoln Center a few years back. Luckily I had seen the opera before and knew the story so I didn't need the supertitles since they were in Polish.

Opera House

There is also the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Unlike the opera house, after its home was destroyed a new building was constructed instead of being rebuilt and has a Communist era exterior. This coming Friday will be my first visit there.

Philharmonic Hall

Chopin was born near Warsaw (and his heart is actually in one of the churches) so at times the city can seem like Chopinland. In addition to the benches in and around the Old Town that play his music when a button is pushed, there is a museum dedicated to him and a series of outdoor concerts in one of the main parks every summer.

In addition to classical concerts, a variety of musicians play here (although some of the bigger ones seem to be in other cities). Recently, there were concerts by Patti Smith, Suzanne Vega and Yanni while I have the opportunity to see Toto next month if I start feeling nostalgic for my college years.

There are a lot of movie theaters here, and most of the movies are shown in their original language with Polish subtitles (unlike Russia and Armenia where everything is dubbed). Some Polish movies are shown with English subtitles, which is nice since I can otherwise only watch the American and British imports.

There are a lot of theaters with stage productions. When I arrived, Tramwaj Zwany Pożądaniem (A Streetcar Named Desire) was running. While I didn't see that, I did see a local production of Rent in Polish and I may soon see Mamma Mia which begins next month. I don't know yet if that will be in Polish, but the show is not exactly challenging material, so I don't think it would matter. 

A few of the movie theaters (and the Opera house) also have periodic broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera, the Bolshoi Ballet and the National Theater in London. While these are pricier than a regular movie (I just paid about $15 to see the Bolshoi) it is a wee bit less than the same ticket costs in New York. 

As far as museums go, there is a wide range to visit, from the expected to the oddball. The National Museum has a large collection of Polish paintings, but also has a great collection of medieval sculptures salvaged from churches around the country. There are contemporary art and modern art museums with rotating exhibits. There is an ethnographic museum, one dedicated to the history of Warsaw and another to the history of one of its neighborhoods, one dedicated to caricatures and another to Polish independence. In the past six months, I have been to the Neon Museum, the Museum of Life Under Communism, the Railway Museum, The Chopin Museum, and a museum housed in the wartime headquarters of the Gestapo. Soon will be the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Copernicus Science Center, both of which are highly recommended, and perhaps the car museum and the Technical Museum at the Palace of Science and Culture. An added aspect about a lot of these is that the buildings in which they are housed are often as interesting as what they contain, given all the history here.

Railway Museum

Neon Museum

Museum of Life Under Communism

So, other than the numerous neighborhoods I have yet to explore and the glut of shopping malls to visit, there is plenty here to keep me from getting bored. And I forgot to mention the chocolate factory here (no news yet on whether Willy Wonka is in residence). Tours aren't open to the general public, but I have time to find my way in....