Warsaw, like a Phoenix.
Trip Start
Sep 21, 2006
1
9
101
Trip End
Ongoing
Warsaw,
Poland
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Warsaw is nice and cute, particularly the old town. But I couldn't help getting a sense of fake while visiting it.
One has to feel for the people of Warsaw. Poland was a victim of the expansion views of its neighbors, Germany to the West and Russia to the East. To fully understand today's Warsaw one has to be aware that before the war broke in 1939, 800,000 people were living there. It's hard to imagine for us that live in a country that's never been occupied but at the end of the war, over 2/3 of those people had perished and over 85% of the city had been razed to the ground by the Nazzis.
Like a Phoenix, Warsaw rose from its ashes
Every street leads to Market Square...
. The people of Warsaw had to rebuild everything from the ground up. And they did it in a very successful way. The city has been rebuilt according to pre-war plans. The buildings are fairly recent but they look like old ones. The way they are painted simulates wear and tear. But you just know that they're recent so you can't get the same feeling as if you were standing in front of a 700 year old building.The bombs couldn't do much against Lazienkowski park which is one of the largest and most beautiful park in Eastern Europe. It's got lakes, streams, tree species from all around the world and even a Palace.
The people of Warsaw are very friendly despite a rather limited English.
Warsaw, hats off for a tremendous reconstruction effort.
FRANCAIS
Varsovie est tres jolie, particulierement la vielle ville. Mais je n'ai pu m'empecher de ressentir un gout de faux, d'imitation
Getting to Market Square
.On ne peut que sympathiser avec les gens de Varsovie. La Pologne a ete victime des vues expensionistes de ses 2 voisins, l'Allemagne a l'ouest et le Russie a l'Est. Afin de pleinement comprendre ce qu'est Varsovie aujourd'hui il nous faut savoir qu'avant que la guerre ne debute en 1939, elle comptait 800,000 habitants. C'est difficile a imaginer pour nous qui vivons dans un pays qui n'a jamais connu d'occupation mais a la fin de la guerre plus des deux tiers de la population avait peri et 85% de la ville avait ete rasee par les Nazzis.
Tel un Phoenix, Varsovie a renait de ses cendres. Tout a ete recontruit a partir de zero a partir des plans d'avant guerre. Les batiments sont relativements recents mais ils paraissent vieux. Ils ont ete peints de facon a simuler l'usure du temps. Et avec grand succes je dois dire. C'est a s'y meprendre. Mais quand on sait qu'ils sont recents, il est difficile de ressentir la meme chose que lorsqu'on fait face a un edifice 7 fois centenaire par exemple. L'effet n'est malheureusement pas le meme.
Les bombes n'ont pu faire grand chose contre le parc Lazienkowski qui est un des plus grands et des blus beaux d'Europe de l'Est. Il presente des lacs, rivieres, des especes d'arbres de partout a travers le monde et meme un palace.
Les gens de Varsovie sont tres amicaux et chaleureux malgre un anglais plutot limite.
Varsovie, bravo pour un formidable effort de reconstruction.
Andre.
