Warsaw

Warsaw’s story of reclaiming identity from history has phenomenal results

Poland's capital city -- not often included on many travel itineraries -- deserves a fresh look. While it will never have Kraków’s charm, Warsaw has a spirit of rebirth that's immediately contagious. Some 85% of the city was destroyed during World War II, and nearly everything you see, including the charming and antique-looking Old Town, has been around only for a few decades. The Old Town was faithfully rebuilt, brick by brick, during the war’s aftermath, thanks to paintings, photographs, sketches, and personal memories. The reconstruction was so good that in 1980, UNESCO included the Old Town on its list of world heritage sites.

However, there has been some more modern, Socialist-influenced architecture thrown into the mix: The area around the Plac Konstytucji has some handsome postwar buildings. And the unmissable Palace of Culture and Science is the granddaddy of them all. It's a strictly love-it-or-hate-it affair, with many locals falling squarely into the latter camp. To boot, the city skyline looks more like a sun-belt boomtown every day. The changes are every bit as dramatic on the cultural front: New clubs, theaters, and restaurants have opened, and the city feels more vital now than it has in decades.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.