Praga is a district of
Warsaw, Poland
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a grea ...
. It is on the east bank of the river
Vistula
The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...
. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.
History

The historical Praga was a small settlement located at the eastern bank of the
Vistula
The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...
river, directly opposite the towns of
Old Warsaw and
Mariensztat, both being parts of Warsaw now. First mentioned in 1432, it derived its name from the Polish verb ''prażyć'', meaning ''to burn'' or ''to roast'', as it occupied a forested area that was burnt out to make place for the village. Separated from Warsaw by a wide river, it developed independently of the nearby city, and on 10 February 1648 king
Władysław IV of Poland granted Praga with a city charter. However, as it was mostly a suburb and most buildings were wooden, the town was repeatedly destroyed by fires, floods and foreign armies. Currently the only surviving historical monument from that epoch is the
Church of Our Lady of Loreto.
Although there were numerous attempts to build a permanent bridge across the river, none succeeded and Praga remained a separate entity well into the 18th century. Communication between the capital and Praga was maintained by privately run ferries and, in the winter, over the ice. Finally, in 1791, during the reign of
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, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...
, Praga was attached to Warsaw as a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
.
The
Battle of Praga
The Battle of Praga or the Second Battle of Warsaw of 1794, also known in Russian and German as the storming of Praga () and in Polish as the defense of Praga (), was a Imperial Russia, Russian assault on Praga, the easternmost community of Wars ...
, or the Battle of Warsaw, was a
Russian assault during the
Kościuszko Uprising in 1794. It was followed by a massacre in which 12,000 inhabitants of the Praga district lost their lives.

During the
German occupation of Poland in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in 1944, the Germans operated a subcamp of the Oflag 73
prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
for officers in Praga. Unlike the central parts of Warsaw, Praga remained relatively untouched during the war and in the postwar period of reconstruction, the capital was home to many ministries and public facilities.
Because of the traditional separate status of Praga, there are two Catholic dioceses in Warsaw: ''
Archdiocese of Warsaw'' with
St. John's Cathedral and ''
Diocese of Warsaw-Praga'' with
St. Florian's Cathedral.
The derelict district experienced a revival following the
end of Communism in 1989, as young artists moved into many of the former factory buildings, drawing crowds in search of something different from 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. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
. The increasing popularity of the area helped to change it into one of Poland's and Europe's creative hubs as it has been described as one of the "trendiest neighbourhood across Europe".
In 2011 the local
Monument to Brotherhood in Arms was taken down; in 2015 this decision was made permanent.
Administrative division
Currently Praga is administratively divided into:
*
Praga-Północ
Praga-North (Polish language, Polish: ''Praga-Północ''), also known as North Praga, Praga North, is a district of the city of Warsaw, Poland, located in the central part of the city.
History
Praga is one of the oldest districts in Warsaw. Thro ...
(Praga North)
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Praga-Południe (Praga South)
Praga-Południe and Praga-Północ include neighborhoods of:
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Saska Kępa
Saska Kępa (, ''Saxon Meadow'') is a neighbourhood in Warsaw, Poland, part of the Praga Południe (South Praga) district, with a population of over 40.000 inhabitants. It is also the home to one of Warsaw's largest urban parks, the Skaryszew Pa ...
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Grochów
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Szmulowizna
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Gocław
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Kamionek
In the wider sense, all areas of Warsaw located on the right bank of Vistula are also known under the collective term of Praga. Besides historical Praga, they include:
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Białołęka
Białołęka (, lit. ''White Meadow'') is one of 18 districts of Warsaw, located in the northern part of the city. Until October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina.
According to the Central Statistical Office data, the district's area is and ...
*
Rembertów
Rembertów () is a dzielnica, district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga-Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed ...
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Targówek
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Wawer
Wawer () is one of the dzielnica, districts of Warsaw, located in the south-eastern part of the city. The Vistula river runs along its western border. Wawer became a district of Warsaw on 27 October 2002 (previously it was a part of Praga Południ ...
*
Wesoła
Sights and landmarks
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Praga Park
Soldiers of the Polish First Army Park otherwise known as Praga Park () is a park in Warsaw, Poland. The park is located in the city's Praga district, on the east bank of the Wisła River.
Park was established in 1865-71 and designed by Jan Dob ...
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Skaryszew Park
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Warsaw Zoo
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Museum of Praga
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Neon Museum in Warsaw
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Praga Koneser Center
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St. Florian's Cathedral
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Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
Church of Our Lady of Loreto
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Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene
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Kazimierz Górski National Stadium
The Stadion Narodowy (, ), known for sponsorship reasons as the PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, PGE Narodowy since 2015 (with patron being added in 2021), is a retractable-roof football (soccer), football stadium located in Warsaw, Poland. It is ...
Transport
The
Warszawa Wschodnia railway station
Warszawa Wschodnia, in English Warsaw East, is one of the most important railway stations in Warsaw, Poland. Its more official name is ''Warszawa Wschodnia Osobowa'' (translated as ''Warsaw East Passenger''). It is located on the eastern side of t ...
, Warsaw's second largest railway station and the sixth busiest station in Poland (as of 2021),
is located in Praga.
References
External links
{{Authority control
History of Warsaw
Geography of Warsaw
Populated places on the Vistula
Populated places established in the 15th century
Praga-Północ
Praga-Południe
Neighbourhoods of Praga-Północ
Neighbourhoods of Praga-Południe