Warsaw
Warsaw,[a] officially the Capital City of Warsaw,[7][b] is the capital and the second largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.27 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 7th most-populous city in the European Union.[2] The city area measures 517 km2 (200 sq mi) and comprises 18 districts, while the metropolitan area covers 6,100 km2 (2,355 sq mi).[8] Warsaw is an alpha global city,[9] a major cultural, political and economic hub, and the country's seat of government. It is also capital of the Masovian Voivodeship.
Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Warszawa (disambiguation), Warschau (disambiguation), City of Warsaw (disambiguation), and Warsaw (disambiguation).
Warsaw
Warszawa (Polish)
Poland
City county
13th century
1323
517.24 km2 (199.71 sq mi)
6,100.43 km2 (2,355.39 sq mi)
78–116 m (328 ft)
3,601/km2 (9,330/sq mi)
3,269,510[3]
509.1/km2 (1,319/sq mi)
Varsovian
€77.957 billion (2021)
€114.436 billion (2022)
+48 22
zł 24.368 billion
(€5.4 billion)[6]
Cultural
ii, vi
1980 (4th session)
Warsaw traces its origins to a small fishing town in Masovia. The city rose to prominence in the late 16th century, when Sigismund III decided to move the Polish capital and his royal court from Kraków. Warsaw served as the de facto capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1795, and subsequently as the seat of Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. The 19th century and its Industrial Revolution brought a demographic boom which made it one of the largest and most densely populated cities in Europe. Known then for its elegant architecture and boulevards, Warsaw was bombed and besieged at the start of World War II in 1939.[10][11][12] Much of the historic city was destroyed and its diverse population decimated by the Ghetto Uprising in 1943, the general Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and systematic razing.
Warsaw is served by two international airports, the busiest being Warsaw Chopin as well as the smaller Warsaw Modlin intended for low-cost carriers. Major public transport services operating in the city include the Warsaw Metro, buses, commuter rail service and an extensive tram network. The city is a significant centre of research and development, business process outsourcing, and information technology outsourcing. The Warsaw Stock Exchange is the largest and most important in Central and Eastern Europe.[13][14] Frontex, the European Union agency for external border security, and ODIHR, one of the principal institutions of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, have their headquarters in Warsaw. As of 2022, Warsaw has one of the highest number of skyscrapers in Europe while Varso Place is the tallest building in the European Union.
The city is home to renowned universities such as the University of Warsaw, the Warsaw University of Technology, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Chopin University of Music and Kozminski University. It also hosts the Polish Academy of Sciences, National Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Museum, Zachęta Art Gallery and the Warsaw Grand Theatre, the largest of its kind in the world.[15] The reconstructed Old Town, which represents examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period,[16] was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1980. Other architectural attractions include the Royal Castle, Sigismund's Column, the Wilanów Palace, the Palace on the Isle, St. John's Archcathedral, Main Market Square, and numerous churches and mansions along the Royal Route. The Warsaw Zoo is among the largest and most-visited zoological gardens in the country. The city possesses thriving arts and club scenes, gourmet restaurants and large urban green spaces, with around a quarter of the city's area occupied by parks.[17][18] In sports, the city is known as the home of the top-tier football club Legia Warsaw, the Warsaw Marathon and Poland's national football stadium Stadion Narodowy.
Canon Square (Kanonia) with the narrowest townhouse in Europe
Warsaw holds some of the finest institutions of higher education in Poland. It is home to four major universities and over 62 smaller schools of higher education.[185] The overall number of students of all grades of education in Warsaw is almost 500,000 (29.2% of the city population; 2002). The number of university students is over 280,000.[186] Most of the reputable universities are public, but in recent years there has also been an upsurge in the number of private universities.
The University of Warsaw was established in 1816, when the partitions of Poland separated Warsaw from the oldest and most influential Polish academic center, in Kraków.[187] The university is the largest in the country, and often regarded as one of the most prestigious, with international recognition in mathematics and science.[188][189][190] Warsaw University of Technology is the second academic school of technology in the country, and one of the largest in East-Central Europe.[191] Other institutions for higher education include the Medical University of Warsaw, the largest medical school in Poland and one of the most prestigious; the National Defence University, the highest military academic institution in Poland; the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, the oldest and largest music school in Poland and one of the largest in Europe;[192] the Warsaw School of Economics, the oldest and most renowned economic university in the country;[193] the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, the largest agricultural university, founded in 1818;[194] and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the first private secular university in the country.
Warsaw has numerous libraries, many of which contain vast collections of historic documents. The most important library in terms of historic document collections is the National Library of Poland. The library holds 8.2 million volumes in its collection.[195] Formed in 1928,[196] it sees itself as a successor to the Załuski Library, the biggest in Poland and one of the first and biggest libraries in the world.[196][197]
Another important library – the University Library, founded in 1816,[198] is home to over two million items.[199] The building was designed by architects Marek Budzyński and Zbigniew Badowski and opened on 15 December 1999.[200] It is surrounded by green. The University Library garden, designed by Irena Bajerska, was opened on 12 June 2002. It is one of the largest roof gardens in Europe with an area of more than 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft), and plants covering 5,111 m2 (55,010 sq ft).[201] As the university garden it is open to the public every day.[201]
Entrace to the metro station
Warsaw is a considerable transport hub linking Western, Central and Eastern Europe. The city has a good network of buses and a continuously expanding perpendicular metro running north to south and east to west. The tram system is one of the biggest in Europe, with a total length of 133 km (83 mi).[202] As a result of increased foreign investment, economic growth and EU funding, the city has undertaken the construction of new roads, flyovers and bridges.[203] The supervising body is the City Roads Authority (ZDM – Zarząd Dróg Miejskich).
The table presents statistics on public transport in Warsaw.[204][202]
Warsaw lacks a complete ring road system and most traffic goes directly through the city centre, leading to the eleventh highest level of congestion in Europe.[205] The Warsaw ring road has been planned to consist of four express roads: S2 (south), S8 (north-west) and S17 (east). S8, S2 and a small 3 km section of S17 are open. Additionally, the S2 and S8 have a concurrency with the S7 and the S2 has a short concurrency with the S8. A second ring road consisting of the A50 motorway (south) and S50 expressway (north) is also planned but it is unknown when construction will start.
The A2 motorway opened in June 2012, stretches west from Warsaw and is a direct motorway connection with Łódź, Poznań and ultimately with Berlin.
The city has two international airports: Warsaw Chopin Airport, located just 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the city centre, and Warsaw-Modlin Airport, located 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the north, opened in July 2012. With around 100 international and domestic flights a day and with 7,440,056 passengers served in 2021,[206] and it has also been called "the most important and largest airport in Central Europe".[207]
Public transport also extends to light rail Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa line, urban railway Szybka Kolej Miejska, regional rail Koleje Mazowieckie (Mazovian Railways),[208] and bicycle sharing systems (Veturilo). The buses, trams, urban railway and Metro are managed by the Public Transport Authority and are collectively known as Warsaw Public Transport.
Long distance and intercity trains are operated by Polish State Railways (PKP). There are also some suburban bus lines run by private operators.[209] Bus service covers the entire city, with approximately 256 routes totalling above 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi), and with some 1,700 vehicles.
The first section of the Warsaw Metro was opened in 1995 initially with a total of 11 stations.[210] As of 2024, it has 39 stations running a distance of approximately 41 km (25 mi).[211]
The main railway station is Warszawa Centralna serving both domestic traffic to almost every major city in Poland, and international connections. There are also five other major railway stations and a number of smaller suburban stations.
