Curious if you have read M Gessen’s book Future is History? Some of it is about elite disillusionment but also about how societies see themselves. Worth a read. There is also a Belorussian writer that received a Noble Award for interviews she did post Chernobyl called Voices of Chernobyl that is well worth reading. That event was very much a stripping off the veneer to the Soviet system. That cynicism and distrust was deep. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_from_Chernobyl
There is unfortunately (or fortunately? ) quite a bit of those Leonid Brezhnev quote going on in this world right now too, and not quite just in the eastern bloc
Perhaps luckily? the information age has made these contradictions in the world more apparently and much harder to gloss over / deny.
Great write up! I think you’re not wrong to point out that Warsaw doesn’t have that small street life that other Eastern European cities have. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the urban fabric — it’s more likely a consequence of higher wages and labor shortages. Poland’s minimum wage is now higher than the U.S. federal minimum wage so running a small neighborhood bar is a costly endeavor as it’s a labor-heavy business. The only small retail surviving is farmers markets.
That being said, I think you should visit other places in Poland. Poland is really five countries bundled into one. Warsaw is the central city to the Congress Poland; the least developed (at least outside Warsaw proper) and least interesting one. Krakow is the central city to Galicia, then Poznan to Greater Poland while Wroclaw and Gdańsk are top cities in the “new Poland”, which is to some extent the most interesting as it’s almost a colony of the rest of the country. Finally, you have Upper Silesia with Katowice, the most distinct part of Poland.
Thank you Szymon. Yeah, I want to spend more time in Poland since my fathers family is from there (the western part. He was born in goerlitz, now in Germany, but the family orgins are Jews from Silesia)
I chose Warsaw because of how large it is, I was there in 1975 (and Krakow) and simplicity.
Interesting on the high federal minimum wage. Curious if there is also a lot of regulation of street life? Meaning, are kiosks and other small pop up stores highly regulated as well?
I’m not super sure about regulations around street life tbh. I’m sure you need a permit for an ice cream stand or a vegetable stand so I’d assume it’s the same for most other things. In the summer, beer gardens are super popular but they require a permit too.
Interesting story about Jews from Silesia. Back in 1922 Poland and Germany fought over Upper Silesia and its heavy industry. Ultimately the League of Nations divided the area in a sort of a Berlin-wall-like fashion (the border cutting through tram lines, houses etc.) but it also made Germany and Poland sign a minority protection treaty. It was meant to protect Poles in Germany and Germans in Poland but the language didn’t specify that. So when Hitler came to power and started prosecuting Jews, a local guy Franz Bernheim from Gleiwitz (now known as Gliwice; by the way famous for the Gleiwitz incident that nazis used to justify the invasion of Poland) sued Germany for violating that convention and won, so that Nuremberg laws didn’t apply in Upper Silesia until 1937.
This sums it up pretty well. I’m in Warsaw a lot for work but I much prefer Katowice, Zielona Gora, or even Krakow or Zakopane, all of which have a sense of local culture and busy streets by comparison. But you did miss some real gems in Warsaw by my reading!
Thanks for yet another great piece, Chris. I was recently in Gdansk (which, fwiw, I found MUCH more interesting than Warsaw) and noticed the same thing about the lack of religious practice. I asked a couple of people in their 20s about it, and they both brought up the pedophilia thing, which seems to have been/still is a pretty serious problem in Poland. That might help explain those empty pews.
Great article, Chris. Have you read any of Orlando Figes’ books on Russia and the Soviet revolution? I found them fascinating but curious your thoughts as to how they compare to others you’ve listed.
We lived in Warsaw on assignment from '93-96 and from '98-'00 and visited last Summer to catch up with old friends for the first time in over 20 years.
It was always a tough place to be in wintertime and we used to go stir crazy if we couldn't escape to somewhere sunny and warm every few weeks (grey skies, on grey brutalist apartment blocks on dirty snow made it truly a city "remembered in black and white") but it always bursts into life in its brief, intense summer.
For us the city is ugly but beautiful as despite their best attempts, the Nazis and Soviets could not expunge Polish spirit and culture which while far easier to appreciate in Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk in particular is alive and kicking in Warsaw too, if you know where to look.
It's something we've written about extensively.
Wesolych Swiat, as they say in Poland at Christmas.
"grey skies, on grey brutalist apartment blocks on dirty snow made it truly a city "remembered in black and white" -- perfect description!
I ended up liking Warsaw, and could happily spend three months there writing, going on my daily walk across the river to Praga. But it would be a very low key life, which is perfectly fine, but I suspect I would also get a little stir crazy and bored
The famous story of the Soviets purposely pausing so the Germans could crush the uprising is more likely than not just that… a story, pushed after the collapse of communism. The Soviets had made a mad dash west in a spectacular push against the Germans, but by the time they reached Warsaw they had just about exhausted and overextended supply lines. It takes time to build up and prepare for a major assault of a big city. Did the Poles jump the gun on accident? Did the Soviets lead them on on purpose? It’s possible. But unlikely the Soviets just “sat back” with a large assaulting force at the ready.
Oh, man! This differed from my experience in the TriCity (Gydnia, Gdańsk, and Sopot) and Kraków. I highly recommend going back in the spring and summer. These cities were green oases and teeming with life. Yet, with the endless remnants of war scattered throughout, I was constantly reminded of humanity's darkness. Plus, complaining is a national sport in Poland.
This is a wonderful post, and quite inspirational. I needed to read this today! I'd try to explain why but it would take forever, so I'll just say thanks thanks thanks for writing it.
Have you read "Red Plenty"? I am the farthest thing from a historian but I found it extremely interesting on the rise and fall of the idea that drove people to believe in the Soviet Union.
My Polish wife is proud of the fact that people dress up to go out in Poland. It’s respectful & classy. The sweat pants, stockings, and pajama trend in America is embarrassing.
Warsaw is the least interesting city in a country filled with beautiful towns, many of which have predominantly German origins. Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, and even Kraków are much more livable and walkable. That said, I’d argue that central Kraków can feel a bit too much like a movie set, catering to Ryanair-fueled, drunken British tourists for my taste.
The Stalinist avenues in Warsaw were built quickly to accommodate tanks and troops, not pedestrians. The "old town," by the way, is completely reconstructed and lacks authenticity. While locals are quite proud of their skyscrapers and subway, to me, the new downtown feels like a bland Midwestern banking city. However, it is amusing to watch stunned Polish-Americans wandering around downtown Warsaw, slowly realizing that the country their plumber grandfathers came from is now nicer than their own Chicago warzone.
If you must stay in Warsaw, choose the southern part (below the Palace of Culture and Science), ideally between the parks.
You’ll have to make do with the yuppie drinking culture. The "old men" drink vodka straight from the 24-hour Rakija Sklep and rarely live past 55, so there aren’t any bars to cater to them.
Yeah. I chose Warsaw because it is so central to what Poland is --- and a lot of people live there! I do want to try other towns in Poland on my next trip, especially Gdansk, because I like ports
I wonder if Warsaw is suffering some of the same after effects of COVID lockdowns, with fewer folks wanting to go out and mingle. Also because younger people apparently drink less than previous generations.
A friend of mine Shain Shapiro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39g5YEGqdQI has just come back from 4 weeks in Saudi. I think what the Saudis are doing is trying in some way to replace their totalitarian history by introducing soft power influences like the music he talks of in the Youtube discussion I've linked.
I was astonished to hear that he had been to Saudi and also his views about it, just about the opposite of what I was expecting. I suppose Riyadh is not really a city you can walk but it sounds as though it would be interesting.
Bummer that you didn't enjoy Warsaw. I went there in 2023 and enjoyed it. Its character has no doubt changed by the influx of Ukranian refugees.
I am curious why you chose to visit Warsaw though, since you normally don't visit capitals and normally choose to visit a second tier city? I guess there would be less Cafe Nerros in some of Poland's provincial capitals (Rzeszow, Poznan, etc).
Warsaw is so central to Poland's identity, as well as being a direct flight from NYC. I've been burned out by so much of the logistics of travel and wanted an "easy" trip. Just a direct flight and then a direct flight back.
Warsaw is exceptionally easy. I also grew to like it and would go back.
Curious if you have read M Gessen’s book Future is History? Some of it is about elite disillusionment but also about how societies see themselves. Worth a read. There is also a Belorussian writer that received a Noble Award for interviews she did post Chernobyl called Voices of Chernobyl that is well worth reading. That event was very much a stripping off the veneer to the Soviet system. That cynicism and distrust was deep. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_from_Chernobyl
There is unfortunately (or fortunately? ) quite a bit of those Leonid Brezhnev quote going on in this world right now too, and not quite just in the eastern bloc
Perhaps luckily? the information age has made these contradictions in the world more apparently and much harder to gloss over / deny.
Great write up! I think you’re not wrong to point out that Warsaw doesn’t have that small street life that other Eastern European cities have. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the urban fabric — it’s more likely a consequence of higher wages and labor shortages. Poland’s minimum wage is now higher than the U.S. federal minimum wage so running a small neighborhood bar is a costly endeavor as it’s a labor-heavy business. The only small retail surviving is farmers markets.
That being said, I think you should visit other places in Poland. Poland is really five countries bundled into one. Warsaw is the central city to the Congress Poland; the least developed (at least outside Warsaw proper) and least interesting one. Krakow is the central city to Galicia, then Poznan to Greater Poland while Wroclaw and Gdańsk are top cities in the “new Poland”, which is to some extent the most interesting as it’s almost a colony of the rest of the country. Finally, you have Upper Silesia with Katowice, the most distinct part of Poland.
Thank you Szymon. Yeah, I want to spend more time in Poland since my fathers family is from there (the western part. He was born in goerlitz, now in Germany, but the family orgins are Jews from Silesia)
I chose Warsaw because of how large it is, I was there in 1975 (and Krakow) and simplicity.
Interesting on the high federal minimum wage. Curious if there is also a lot of regulation of street life? Meaning, are kiosks and other small pop up stores highly regulated as well?
I’m not super sure about regulations around street life tbh. I’m sure you need a permit for an ice cream stand or a vegetable stand so I’d assume it’s the same for most other things. In the summer, beer gardens are super popular but they require a permit too.
Interesting story about Jews from Silesia. Back in 1922 Poland and Germany fought over Upper Silesia and its heavy industry. Ultimately the League of Nations divided the area in a sort of a Berlin-wall-like fashion (the border cutting through tram lines, houses etc.) but it also made Germany and Poland sign a minority protection treaty. It was meant to protect Poles in Germany and Germans in Poland but the language didn’t specify that. So when Hitler came to power and started prosecuting Jews, a local guy Franz Bernheim from Gleiwitz (now known as Gliwice; by the way famous for the Gleiwitz incident that nazis used to justify the invasion of Poland) sued Germany for violating that convention and won, so that Nuremberg laws didn’t apply in Upper Silesia until 1937.
This sums it up pretty well. I’m in Warsaw a lot for work but I much prefer Katowice, Zielona Gora, or even Krakow or Zakopane, all of which have a sense of local culture and busy streets by comparison. But you did miss some real gems in Warsaw by my reading!
I’m sure I did miss good stuff. I would have liked to stay another week. Maybe I’ll return in another time
Thanks for yet another great piece, Chris. I was recently in Gdansk (which, fwiw, I found MUCH more interesting than Warsaw) and noticed the same thing about the lack of religious practice. I asked a couple of people in their 20s about it, and they both brought up the pedophilia thing, which seems to have been/still is a pretty serious problem in Poland. That might help explain those empty pews.
Great article, Chris. Have you read any of Orlando Figes’ books on Russia and the Soviet revolution? I found them fascinating but curious your thoughts as to how they compare to others you’ve listed.
So interesting to read this, Chris.
We lived in Warsaw on assignment from '93-96 and from '98-'00 and visited last Summer to catch up with old friends for the first time in over 20 years.
It was always a tough place to be in wintertime and we used to go stir crazy if we couldn't escape to somewhere sunny and warm every few weeks (grey skies, on grey brutalist apartment blocks on dirty snow made it truly a city "remembered in black and white") but it always bursts into life in its brief, intense summer.
For us the city is ugly but beautiful as despite their best attempts, the Nazis and Soviets could not expunge Polish spirit and culture which while far easier to appreciate in Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk in particular is alive and kicking in Warsaw too, if you know where to look.
It's something we've written about extensively.
Wesolych Swiat, as they say in Poland at Christmas.
May, June and July with frequent explorations by rail will see you right, Chris
"grey skies, on grey brutalist apartment blocks on dirty snow made it truly a city "remembered in black and white" -- perfect description!
I ended up liking Warsaw, and could happily spend three months there writing, going on my daily walk across the river to Praga. But it would be a very low key life, which is perfectly fine, but I suspect I would also get a little stir crazy and bored
The story of our last visit, Chris: https://marcoandsabrina.substack.com/p/beauty-and-the-beast
The famous story of the Soviets purposely pausing so the Germans could crush the uprising is more likely than not just that… a story, pushed after the collapse of communism. The Soviets had made a mad dash west in a spectacular push against the Germans, but by the time they reached Warsaw they had just about exhausted and overextended supply lines. It takes time to build up and prepare for a major assault of a big city. Did the Poles jump the gun on accident? Did the Soviets lead them on on purpose? It’s possible. But unlikely the Soviets just “sat back” with a large assaulting force at the ready.
Oh, man! This differed from my experience in the TriCity (Gydnia, Gdańsk, and Sopot) and Kraków. I highly recommend going back in the spring and summer. These cities were green oases and teeming with life. Yet, with the endless remnants of war scattered throughout, I was constantly reminded of humanity's darkness. Plus, complaining is a national sport in Poland.
This is a wonderful post, and quite inspirational. I needed to read this today! I'd try to explain why but it would take forever, so I'll just say thanks thanks thanks for writing it.
Have you read "Red Plenty"? I am the farthest thing from a historian but I found it extremely interesting on the rise and fall of the idea that drove people to believe in the Soviet Union.
My Polish wife is proud of the fact that people dress up to go out in Poland. It’s respectful & classy. The sweat pants, stockings, and pajama trend in America is embarrassing.
yeah. I was sometimes in a cafe and felt like I was the one slob in a fashion show
if Ukrainian, you ate varenekis not pierogis
Warsaw is the least interesting city in a country filled with beautiful towns, many of which have predominantly German origins. Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, and even Kraków are much more livable and walkable. That said, I’d argue that central Kraków can feel a bit too much like a movie set, catering to Ryanair-fueled, drunken British tourists for my taste.
The Stalinist avenues in Warsaw were built quickly to accommodate tanks and troops, not pedestrians. The "old town," by the way, is completely reconstructed and lacks authenticity. While locals are quite proud of their skyscrapers and subway, to me, the new downtown feels like a bland Midwestern banking city. However, it is amusing to watch stunned Polish-Americans wandering around downtown Warsaw, slowly realizing that the country their plumber grandfathers came from is now nicer than their own Chicago warzone.
If you must stay in Warsaw, choose the southern part (below the Palace of Culture and Science), ideally between the parks.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XsCqNdVerxTPjALa6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/LRKnA5TX9HmheTGB7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/oyknPLiYgznd5yqK6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/za6pMdfTg7RKwJGC7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Xtmto3DbBWATfeMW9
You’ll have to make do with the yuppie drinking culture. The "old men" drink vodka straight from the 24-hour Rakija Sklep and rarely live past 55, so there aren’t any bars to cater to them.
Yeah. I chose Warsaw because it is so central to what Poland is --- and a lot of people live there! I do want to try other towns in Poland on my next trip, especially Gdansk, because I like ports
I wonder if Warsaw is suffering some of the same after effects of COVID lockdowns, with fewer folks wanting to go out and mingle. Also because younger people apparently drink less than previous generations.
Not at all. I live in Germany but was in Poland a lot during the pandemic and the clubs and bars were packed, no masks, etc.
A friend of mine Shain Shapiro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39g5YEGqdQI has just come back from 4 weeks in Saudi. I think what the Saudis are doing is trying in some way to replace their totalitarian history by introducing soft power influences like the music he talks of in the Youtube discussion I've linked.
I was astonished to hear that he had been to Saudi and also his views about it, just about the opposite of what I was expecting. I suppose Riyadh is not really a city you can walk but it sounds as though it would be interesting.
Bummer that you didn't enjoy Warsaw. I went there in 2023 and enjoyed it. Its character has no doubt changed by the influx of Ukranian refugees.
I am curious why you chose to visit Warsaw though, since you normally don't visit capitals and normally choose to visit a second tier city? I guess there would be less Cafe Nerros in some of Poland's provincial capitals (Rzeszow, Poznan, etc).
Warsaw is so central to Poland's identity, as well as being a direct flight from NYC. I've been burned out by so much of the logistics of travel and wanted an "easy" trip. Just a direct flight and then a direct flight back.
Warsaw is exceptionally easy. I also grew to like it and would go back.