Address
Stare Miasto
Warszawa
Mazowieckie
Warszawa
00-272
Poland
Old Town was founded on an escarpment, along the riverside of Kamionka river – a small tributary of Vistula, near Castle of Mazovia Dukes erected a few years earlier in place of the oldest part of current Royal Castle, north of Warsaw village.
Its beginnings date back to 13th century. Back then, it was surrounded by an earthern rampart, which was replaced by a defensive wall near the end of 14th century. It stretched from Vistula embankment towards the west, along contemporary Podwale street to Piekarska street, then around Church of St Martin ending at the castle. It is believed that the town’s founder was Bolesław II, duke of Mazovia and Płock. Because of its advantageous location, on trade route from Black Sea to Baltic Sea, wealthy merchants were in majority among settlers that inhabited Old Warsaw. Remains of Warsaw part of that trade route make the modern Świętojańska, Rynku and Nowomiejska streets.
Occupying the town’s center was a town square in rectangular shape, by which fourty richest denizens used to dwell. Each one of them had an allotment of 9×35 meters size available. This plot division pattern ensured fitting a considerable amount of adjacent houses on a rather small area. The tenement houses were narrow, with one or two storeys, steep stairs and gable roofs. At first they were made of wood, but after fires in 1374, 1384 and 1478, number of those made of brick was on the rise (486 of them in 1564). In 1607, after another great fire, a ban on construction of wooden buildings within defensive walls was issued (all Old Town buildings were made of brick by the end of that century). The entire city was situated on an area of roughly 10 hectares and had 2 market squares (by Town Square and by Szeroki Dunaj street), 12 streets and about 170 houses.
Once Duke Janusz decided to establish Old Warsaw as his main seat and Duchy of Mazovia’s capital in 1413, an intensive growth of the gard began. The town received a double line of walls, towers were constructed and moat was dug. One could get inside through either Cracow’s Gate (aka Courtiers’ Gate) or New City Gate, alternatively through gates for pedestrians from Vistula’s side, by the exit of current Celna and Kamiennych Schodków streets. In Gate of Cracow’s vicinity stood a building called Dwór Wielki (Big Manor, currently the oldest part of Royal Castle), duke’s residence. The building with large courtyard was surrounded by an additional wall. Nearby, on Grodzka street’s elongation (today called Świętojańska street) were found buildings housing court of law and gard’s chancery called “shed”. Beside Church of St John (elevated to collegiate rank), the denizens also used Church of St Martin, Hospital of the Holy Spirit (for poor seniors), two cemeteries and baths by New City Gate. A prison was arranged in Marshal Tower.
After moving capital of Poland to Warsaw by Sigmundus III Vasa, Old Town received tanks of drinking water and wooden waterpipe system connected to them, giving the denizens independence from access to Vistula. Progressively more stately tenement houses, belonging majorly (especially those by Square and Świętojańska street) to wealthy merchants and patricians, were being erected. Town Square was a trade center for luxury goods. Merchants, both from within and outside the country, sold their goods there. Gentry arriving from various areas of Poland for parliment meetings and elections.
Old Town’s architecture shifted through centuries with changing art styles. The first medieval tenement houses were built in Gothic style, while during Sigismund Augustus’s regime, houses renovated or reconstructed after natural disasters had renaissance character. At the beginning of 17th century, tenement houses received colored plasters and baroque decorations.
Important monuments:
- Royal Castle, originally gothic, built by Mazovian dukes, reconstructions: renaissance from 1569-1572 (Giovanni Battista di Quadro), early baroque from 1599-1619 connected with Warsaw attaining capital city status (Giovanni Trevano), rococo from 1741-1746 (Gaetano Chiaveri, J. K. Knöffel and K. F. Pöppelman), interior renovation from 18th century’s ending (Dominik Merlini and Jan Chrystian Kamsetzer)
- Cathedral of st John – constructed at the turn of 13th and 14th centuries as a collegiate, rebuilt several times in following centuries – for the last time in 19th century in neogothic style by A. Idźkowski. Destroyed in 1944, reconstructed in style referencing gothic one according to Jan Zachwatowicz’s project. Tombs of the last mazovian dukes, Henryk Sienkiewicz and the first Polish president Gabriel Narutowicz, are found in the dungeons. Crowning location of Polish kings: Stanisław Leszczyński (1704) and Stanisław August Poniatowski (1764)
- Church of Jesuits 1608-1626, manneristic, with a dome over presbytery, rebuilt after the war.
- Jesuit College, created in 17th/18th century.
- Complex of city walls with barbican.
