Tourist Route II - Royal Route (2,8 km)

Tourist Route II Royal Route (2,8 km)

1. Krakowskie Przedmieście Route

One of the most prestigious streets in the city center of Warsaw, representing the northern section of the Royal Route. The Suburbs at the Cracow Gate were created in the fourteenth century, and in 1454 the Bernardine church was founded. Then the area in front of the walls began to be called the Bernardine Square.
The so called Bernardine Square was known before as Czerskie Suburb, then as Cracow Suburb, as it was a start for a road connecting Warsaw and Czersk, then Cracow also.

The road has become a great place to build representative palaces of the aristocracy and the royal family, it was also a perfect place for triumphal entry into the city. Currently, it is one of the most quaint streets of Warsaw, a wide promenade with numerous cafes and restaurants.

Presidential Palace. Also called: Koniecpolski, Radziwill, Lubomirski and Namiestnikowski. Since 1993 it is the residence of the President of the Polish Republic. The Presidential Palace is the most magnificent edifice at Krakowskie Przedmieście (Cracow Suburb) and also the largest of all of the palaces in Warsaw. The designer of the palace was Constantino Tencalla - the architect of King Władysław IV, the author of Zygmunt Column. In 1674 the palace passed into the hands of the Radziwill family. During the time of Radziwill family the Palace was a frequent place for public gatherings, feasts and balls.

The Church of the Holy Cross – the heart of Frederic Chopin. The church was built at the end of the seventeenth century. It was designed by Joseph Belotti. Since it was the Chopin parish church, the second pillar on the left side of the nave holds an urn with the heart of the composer. He wished his sister would brought his heart back to his native country.

Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Warsaw. The Monument was sculpted by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1822. The 2.8-meter-high bronze sculpture shows a seated Nicolaus Copernicus with a compass in his right hand and armillary sphere in his left hand. There are copies of this monument located in Montreal and Chicago.

The Copernicus Science Centre. Learning center located at 20 Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie Street. Its purpose is to promote and popularize modern scientific communication. Visitors can learn about the laws of nature through self-experimentation on interactive exhibitions. It is a great attraction especially for children of school age. In one of the most modern planetarium in Europe, you can see the videos about with the sky and the cosmos, nature and the theory of evolution.

Fryderyk Chopin Museum. It is housed in a baroque Ostrogski Castle, which stands on the Vistula escarpment. In the museum there is the largest collection of things connectd with Chopin in the world. It includes autographs, notes, letters, manuscripts of works and objects belonging to the composer, piano and others private things. Very precious and touching pieces of exibition are two obituary masks and casting of the composer’s hand. The newly opened museum in the renovated Ostrogski Palace is the most modern biographical museum in Europe. There are multimedia exhibitions and touch screens - the real world meets here with the virtual one. The ticket to enter this magical world is an electronic ticket. By using it, you can hear commentary in several languages, and listen to music. Open: Tue-Sun 11.00-20.00

Nowy Świat street. One of the most famous streets in Warsaw, a part of the historical Royal Route. In the past it was commonly called “Nowik”. In 1994 the Royal Route together with the historical city complex and Wilanów Palace were declared to be a monument of history.

The Polish Army Museum. The only one museum in Poland where you can learn about the history of the Polish Army from its very beginnings in the tenth century, till the end of the World War II. It is also the largest historical-military institution in the country, due to its huge collection of works of art and a multitude of military and special collection of books. Opening hours: Wed. 10.00-17.00, Thu.-Sun 10.00-16.00.

The National Museum. Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday: 10.00-18.00, Thursday: 10.00-21.00 (cash open until 17.15 / 20.15). It is an art museum in Warsaw and a national cultural institution, founded in 1862 as the Museum of Fine Arts in Warsaw. It is one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in Warsaw. The National Museum in Warsaw collects ancient art (Egyptian, Greek, Roman), Polish paintings since the thirteenth century, and foreign painting gallery (Italian, French, Dutch, German and Russian), numismatic and decorative arts.

Polish restaurants on the Royal Route

Ceprownia	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 7
Czarny Chleb, Czarna Kawa	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 5
Dawne Smaki	ul. Nowy Świat 49
Delicja Polska	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 45
Kameralna	ul. Foksal 11
Literatka	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 87/89
Marconi	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44
Meta	ul. Foksal 21
Pod Messalką	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 16/18
Villa Foksal	ul. Foksal 3/5
Wiking	ul. Nowy Świat 28