Old towns & squares

Castle Square

Castle Square has an unusual hierarchy: the Sigismund III Vasa Column was erected here as early as 1644, while the square itself was only laid out in 1818–1821 to a design by Jakub Kubicki, after the castle's outbuildings and the Kraków Gate had been demolished. Today it is the starting point for exploring Warsaw: the eastern frontage is closed by the facade of the Royal Castle, the Royal Route begins here, and you step straight onto the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Between the column and the castle

The column with the figure of Sigismund III was raised in 1644 in front of the Kraków Gate, beyond the walls of Old Warsaw. A small square grew up around it. In 1948 the East-West Route tunnel was driven beneath it, and a year later escalators imported from Moscow improved the connection.

Destroyed and rebuilt

The square's buildings were badly damaged during the defence of Warsaw in 1939, and the Warsaw Uprising finished the job — the Germans razed what was left in 1944. The square was rebuilt by 1958, and the Royal Castle itself rose again between 1971 and 1984. In 1977 the square was lowered by 0.5–1.5 m; strips of clinker brick now mark the former line of the double defensive walls, whose remains, including a Gothic gate bridge, were opened to visitors in 1983.

A square where history happens

In 1920 Piłsudski received his marshal's baton here, and in 1997 Bill Clinton announced Poland's invitation to NATO from this spot. In winter a Christmas tree stands here and a market opens; in summer the square fills with buskers and café terraces. Świętojańska Street leads straight to the Old Town Market, and Podwale takes you down to the Vistula. Walking around the square takes a quarter of an hour, yet it makes a natural base for a whole day in the Old Town.