Old towns & squares

Krakowskie Przedmieście Street

1030 metres from Castle Square to Nowy Świat, lined with baroque churches, palaces and the University of Warsaw. Krakowskie Przedmieście is the northern stretch of the Royal Route and the most representative street in Warsaw — a walk down it is a complete lesson in the city's history.

Addresses with history behind them

The Church of the Holy Cross stands at no. 3, the Academy of Fine Arts in the Czapski Palace at no. 5, the Hotel Europejski at no. 13, the Hotel Bristol at no. 42/44, and the Presidential Palace at no. 46/48. At no. 26/28 you pass the main gate of the University of Warsaw with the 17th-century Kazimierz Palace, once a residence of King Władysław IV. The Visitationist Church is no. 34, and at no. 68 rises St Anne's, where in 1979 John Paul II met with young people.

From cobblestones to a promenade

The street was fully cobbled around 1762, lit by gas lamps in 1855, saw horse-drawn trams in 1866 and electric lamps in 1907. On 27 February 1861 Russian troops shot five people here during a patriotic demonstration. The turning point came with the rebuilding of 2006–2008 (design: Krzysztof Domaradzki), which turned the street into a promenade, leaving the carriageway to public transport.

The walk

The street entered the heritage register in 1965 and was designated a Monument of History in 1994. In summer the carriageway is sometimes closed to cars and turns into one great promenade. Allow 1–1.5 hours and start from the castle: no other kilometre in Warsaw gives you as much in so little time.