Krakowskie Przedmieście (, literally: ''Cracow Fore-town''; french: link=no, Faubourg de Cracovie), often abbreviated to Krakowskie, is one of the best known and most prestigious streets of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

's capital

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, surrounded by historic palaces, churches and manor-houses. Krakowskie Przedmieście Royal Avenue constitutes the northernmost part of Warsaw's Royal Route, and links the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

and Royal Castle (at

Castle Square Castle Square may refer to: *Castle Square, Sheffield, England *Castle Square, Warsaw Castle Square ( pl, plac Zamkowy) is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – located in Wars ...

) with some of the most notable institutions in Warsaw, including – proceeding southward – the Presidential Palace,

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

, and the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society o ...

headquartered in the Staszic Palace. The immediate southward extension of Krakowskie Przedmieście along the Royal Route is '' ulica Nowy Świat'' (''New World'' Street). Several other Polish cities also have streets named ''Krakowskie Przedmieście''. In

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...

, it is the main and most elegant street. Other cities include

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the second-largest city situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Previously, it was the capita ...

, Bochnia,

Krasnystaw Krasnystaw ( uk, Красностав, Krasnostav) is a town in southeastern Poland with 18 630 inhabitants (31 december 2019). Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Chełm Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital ...

, Olkusz, Sieradz and Wieluń.

History

Krakowskie Przedmieście was established in the 15th century as a trade route. It is one of the oldest avenues in Warsaw and the first part of the Royal Route that connects the Royal Castle with King

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobi ...

's 17th century Wilanów Palace at the southern periphery. In the 17th century, palaces and manor houses began springing up along what had by then become the major artery of the new Polish capital. During the 18th century, the Italian painter Bernardo Bellotto (better known in Central Europe as "Canaletto"), a court painter to

's last king,

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarc ...

, rendered in meticulous detail the streets and architecture of Poland's capital, with its burgeoning population, strong economy, and seats of learning and the arts. It was partly thanks to his paintings that Warsaw's historic district was accurately rebuilt by the Polish people from its deliberate destruction by German special squads in World War II, especially following the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

in 1944. By the 19th century, Krakowskie Przedmieście had many Baroque and Classical-style churches, palaces and dwellings. The street's development continued into the 20th century with the erection of commercial buildings and hotels such as the

Hotel Bristol The Hotel Bristol is the name of more than 200 hotels around the world. They range from grand European hotels, such as Hôtel Le Bristol Paris and the Hotel Bristol in Warsaw or Vienna to budget hotels, such as the SRO (single room occupancy) ...

. More recently, the architect Krzysztof Domaradzki of the Dawos studio has given the street a new redesign. He was inspired by historical sources and Bernardo Bellotto's hyper-realistic paintings of the 18th century street to give the area a look that is both old and modern.

Features

A stone Madonna and child, the "Madonna of

Passau Passau (; bar, label= Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's po ...

," stands at Krakowskie Przedmieście, opposite the end of Bednarska Street. It was created by royal sculptor Józef Belotti and placed at its present site in 1683 as a votive offering for King

's victory over the Turks at

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. The statue is Warsaw's second oldest monument after Zygmunt's Column. Trębacka Street leads to the

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

monument, which was erected in 1898 on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Poland's great poet. In 1942 the Germans destroyed the statue. Only the head and a fragment of the torso were recovered for its postwar reconstruction. In accordance with

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

's will, after his death his heart was removed and brought by his sister in an urn to

, where it was deposited inside a pillar of the Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście. }, from whom it takes its name). Since 1816 the Kazimierz Palace has served intermittently, and serves today, as the seat of

. In 1817–31 it also housed the Warsaw Lyceum, a secondary school where

's father taught French, and whose alumni included young Chopin himself., , align="center", , - , align="center", 32 , , Tyszkiewicz Palace, one of the most beautiful neoclassical residences in Warsaw, built by

Field Hetman of Lithuania Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a gra ...

Ludwik Tyszkiewicz Ludwik Skumin Tyszkiewicz ( lt, Liudvikas Tiškevičius; 1748 – 26 June 1808) was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman ('' szlachcic'') and Field Lithuanian Hetman from 1780 to 1791, Great Lithuanian Treasurer from 1791, Great Lithuanian Marshal ...

, , align="center", , - , align="center", 30 , , Czetwertyński Palace was built in 1844–1847 for Uruski family and designed by Andrzej Gołoński. Since 1855, owned by the family of Czetwertyński. , , align="center", , - , align="center", 5 , ,

Czapski Palace The Czapski Palace ( pl, Pałac Czapskich, ), also called the Krasiński, Sieniawski or Raczyński Palace, is a substantial palace in the center of Warsaw, at 5 Krakowskie Przedmieście. It is considered one of the most distinguished examples of r ...

, one of the most notable examples of

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

architecture in Warsaw, rebuilt 1712–21. , , align="center", , - , align="center", 42/44 , , The

is a prime example of the splendor of old Warsaw. It was built in 1900 by a company whose partners included

Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versaill ...

, Polish pianist and, later, prime minister., , align="center", , - , align="center", 13 , ,

Hotel Europejski Raffles Europejski Warsaw, commonly known as Hotel Europejski (''The European Hotel''), is a historic 5-star hotels, five-star luxury hotel located in the city centre of Warsaw, Poland. At the time of its opening in 1857 it was one of the most mod ...

is a 19th-century building designed by Enrico Marconi. , , align="center", Europejski Hotel in Warsaw, Poland, 2019

, - , align="center", 34 , , Visitationist Church, one of the most notable

churches in Poland's capital was established in 1651 by Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga de Nevers for the French Order of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its construction was begun in 1664 and completed in 1761. , , align="center", Visitation Order church in Warsaw, Poland, 2019

Visitation Order church in Warsaw, Poland, 2019

, - , align="center", 68 , , align="center", St. Anne's Church is one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among

's oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many reconstructions, resulting in its present-day appearance, unchanged since 1788. , , align="center", , - , align="center", 62 , , Charitable Center ''Res Sacra Miser'' former

Kazanowski Palace The Kazanowski Palace ( pl, pałac Kazanowskich), also known as the Radziejowski Palace, was a large palace in Warsaw, occupying the place where the Charitable Center ''Res Sacra Miser'' stands today. History When prince Władysław Vasa (future K ...

the richest aristocratic palace in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

destroyed during the Deluge in 1656 and never rebuilt. , , align="center", , - , align="center", 3 , , Holy Cross Church is one of the most notable

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

churches in Poland's capital. It is currently run by the Missionary Friars of

Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...

. The main building was constructed between 1679 and 1696. Its main designer was Józef Szymon Bellotti, the royal architect at the Royal Court of Poland. It was financed by abbot Kazimierz Szczuka and the

Primate of Poland This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Michał Stefan Radziejowski Augustyn Michał Stefan Radziejowski (3 December 1645 – 13 October 1705) was an archbishop of Gniezno and cardinal primate of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, son of Hieronim Radziejowski. After the death of the Polish king John III Sobieski ...

. In late 19th century the interior was slightly refurbished and in 1882 an urn with the heart of

was added in one of the chapels. , , align="center", , - , align="center", 52/54 , ,

Carmelite Church , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

has Warsaw's most notable neoclassical-style façade, created in 1761–83. The church assumed its present appearance beginning in the 17th century and is best known for its twin belfries shaped like

censer A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...

s. , , align="center",

References

::In-line:

Gallery

Paintings by Canaletto

Image:Bellotto Cracow Suburb as seen from the Cracow Gate.jpg, ''As seen from the

'' Image:Canaletto Kościół św. Anny.JPG, ''Detail with St. Anne's Church'' Image:Bellotto Cracow Suburb 03.jpg, ''View from Nowy Świat Street'' Image:POL Krakowskie Przedmieście Street in Warsaw 2008 07 12 (3).JPG, ''Canaletto painting display cube''

Bronze monuments

Image:Warszawa Poniatowski.png, Józef Poniatowski Monument (1816) Image:Nicolaus Copernicus monument in Warsaw without armillary sphere.JPG, Nicolaus Copernicus Monument (1822) Image:Warsaw mickiewiczowi.jpg, Adam Mickiewicz Monument (1898)

External links

Krakowskie Przedmieście Street
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krakowskie Przedmiescie Streets in Warsaw