Warsaw is one of the largest cities in Europe. Together with the suburbs, at least three million people live in it. Where is Warsaw located? In which country, and in what part of Europe is it located? What is interesting and remarkable for this city? You will find the answers to all these questions in the article.
What country is Warsaw in?
Where to look for this city on the map? Answer: in Eastern Europe. Warsaw is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Poland. It is located in the central part of the country, 150 kilometers from the eastern (Polish-Belarusian) border. The nearest foreign city is Brest.
Where is Warsaw located in terms of physical geography? The Polish capital is located within the Masovian Lowlands (the average height of the city above sea level is 112 meters). The city is divided by the Vistula into two almost identical parts. At the same time, the historical center and all the main attractions are concentrated on the left bank of the river.
The climate of Warsaw belongs to the temperate continental type and is quite comfortable for human life. Winters here are usually mild and not very snowy (air temperature very rarely drops below β5Μ Β° C), summers are wet and warm. The average annual rainfall is 650-700 mm. The rainiest month of the year is July.
If you are planning an independent trip, it will be useful for you to know in more detail where the city of Warsaw is located. The exact coordinates of the Polish capital:
- Geographical latitude: 52 Β° 13 β² 47 β² β² north latitude.
- Geographical longitude: 21 Β° 02 β² 42 β² β² East.
Warsaw time zone: UTC + 1 (in summer UTC + 2). Distance to other major European cities:
- Warsaw - Moscow (1250 km).
- Warsaw - Kiev (790 km).
- Warsaw - Berlin (570 km).
- Warsaw - Paris (1640 km).
- Warsaw - Bucharest (1720 km).
Where Warsaw is located on a map of Europe - see below.
Origin of city name and symbols
For the first time the toponym βWarsawβ (more precisely - Warschewia) is found in manuscripts of 1321 and 1342. Most modern linguists agree that the name of the city comes from the name Warsz, which was quite popular in the Middle Ages. Folk legends only supplement the version of scientists. So, one of them tells about a certain poor fisherman, Varsha, who married the beautiful mermaid Sava. The name of the Polish capital was born from the union of their names.
By the way, the mermaid (Siren) is one of the main symbols of modern Warsaw. In the city center, on the Market Square, the famous sculpture of a mythical creature is installed. The image of the mermaid is also present on the official coat of arms of Warsaw. In her left hand she holds a shield, and in her right - a sword (as in the sculptural version).
The flag of Warsaw is as simple as possible. The rectangular panel consists of only two equal stripes - yellow (gold) and red. The first color symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and the second - the rich and heroic history of the city.
History of Warsaw
The age of Warsaw is quite solid. It is generally accepted that it arose at the end of the 13th century. Although the first villages in the place where Warsaw is today appeared much earlier - in the X century.
The city grew out of a stone fortress built by the Mazovian princes in order to defend themselves from the Teutonic Order. Now in its place is the Royal Castle - one of the main tourist attractions of Warsaw. Having become the capital of the Principality of Mazovia, the city began to rapidly and intensively develop. In 1596, Warsaw became the residence of the Polish kings and the actual capital of the entire Polish state.
Warsaw reached a special peak during the reign of King Stanislav Augustus Poniatowski (1764-1795). This period, historians called the "golden age" of the city. At this time, Warsaw became an important center of science and education in Eastern Europe. By the way, in 1791 it was here that the first democratic constitution of Europe was adopted.
Warsaw suffered greatly during the Second World War. 85% of the city was turned into ruins, and in 1945 only piles of rubble and brick remained on the site of the historical center. The old city was being restored from scratch. Nevertheless, the architects managed to recreate the unique and cozy atmosphere of pre-war Warsaw.
Warsaw: 5 interesting facts
- Warsaw's share in the Polish economy is 15% of the country's total GDP.
- Warsaw is the only city in Poland that has a metro.
- One of the iconic city buildings - the Warsaw Palace of Culture - was completely built by Soviet engineers and builders.
- Every year, a resident of Warsaw spends 106 hours on average in traffic jams.
- In the Polish capital there is Winnie the Pooh Street. In 1954, in honor of this fabulous character, the local Lenin Street was renamed.
How to get to Warsaw
If you are reading our article, then you are probably interested in not only where Warsaw is located, but also how to get to it. If you live in Moscow, then there are several options. The first is air travel (fast but expensive). The cost of tickets starts from 4000 rubles. The flight time is 2 hours if you fly non-stop.
The second option is to go to Warsaw by train. Every day, train number 009 departs from the Belorussky railway station with the message "Moscow - Warsaw". This option is quite comfortable, but very expensive: for one ticket in a compartment car you have to pay about 6,000 rubles. Significant savings can be made by landing in Brest and transferring by train to the Polish border town of Terespol.
There remains one more option - the bus. But he is both dear and tiring.
It is worth noting that there are two airports in Warsaw (F. Chopin's Name and Warsaw-Modlin) and two bus stations (Central and West).