Old Town Market Square: The Reborn Heart of Warsaw

Why is it significant?

Step into the lively cobblestone square of the Rynek Starego Miasta and look around at the breathtaking perimeter of ochre, terracotta, and emerald merchant townhouses.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step into the lively cobblestone square of the Rynek Starego Miasta and look around at the breathtaking perimeter of ochre, terracotta, and emerald merchant townhouses. In the center of the square, perched atop a stone fountain, stands the bronze sculpture of the Warsaw Mermaid—the Syrenka—wielding an uplifted curved sword and a rounded shield.

In nineteen forty-five, over eighty-five percent of Warsaw's historic center lay in absolute ruins. The international community believed the city could never be restored. Yet the people of Poland embarked on a five-year miracle of reconstruction, utilizing eighteenth-century paintings by Venetian court artist Bernardo Bellotto, known as Canaletto, to recreate every stucco scroll and frescoed facade.

Legend says the Syrenka was swimming up the Vistula River from the Baltic Sea when she fell in love with Warsaw. Captured by a greedy merchant, she was freed by local fishermen, and vowed ever after to defend the city and its citizens with her sword.

Head north toward the red-brick fortifications of the Warsaw Barbican.