8 T e Travel Guide
20 years of operating out of various temporary spaces throughout the Polish capital, the institution has settled into a permanent home in the heart of the city. Designed by American architect T omas Phifer, the fi nished 213,000sq ft gallery complex was unveiled in October, with its collection of post-war Polish and international art scheduled to open to the public in February 2025. Located in an area of central
New roots S
ince its foundation in 2005, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (MSN) has been somewhat nomadic. After
Warsaw obliterated during the Second World War, the MSN building is a gleaming modernist slab made conspicuous by its surroundings. It stands in stark contrast to its
Promotional Content • Saturday 12th July 2025
Take in post-war Polish Art and culture in the enormous, permanent gallery space that draws visitors to the capital year-round. Words: Sam Kemp
neighbour, the Palace of Culture and Science — a 778ft skyscraper completed in 1955 under the communist regime (1945-1989). T e MSN’s main exhibition levels, linked by an Escher-esque staircase, include four galleries devoted to avant-garde paintings, installations and sculptures from artists including Edward Dwurnik and Holocaust survivor Alina Szapocznikow. T e adjoining cinema shows art
house fi lms and the main galleries feature picture windows off ering views of Plac Defi lad, a square levelled by the Nazis before being transformed into a Soviet parade ground in the 1950s. Like so much of Warsaw, the view serves as a reminder that the past can never be paved over, only built upon.
Castle Square in Warsaw’s Old Town IMAGE: ALAMY THREE MORE WARSAW HIGHLIGHTS
Old Town Square The Second World War saw 85% of Warsaw’s centre turned to rubble. Once the smoke cleared, inhabitants set about rebuilding brick by brick, using 18th-century cityscapes painted by Bellotto (on display in the National Museum in Warsaw) to painstakingly restore the now UNESCO-listed Old Town. Today, you’ll fi nd its 13th-cen- tury square surrounded by merchant’s houses containing cafes and restau- rants. The best tables look onto the sword-wielding statue of Syrenka Warszawska, a mermaid frozen mid-battle cry.
Opening of the Museum of Modernity IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
Church of the Holy Cross The baroque crowns adorning this Roman Catholic basilica in central Warsaw frequently stop passers-by |in their tracks, but the best is reserved for those who step inside. Take in the fresco-washed walls before seeking out the second pillar on the left side of the nave, where a monument featuring a bust of Chopin marks the burial place of the 19th-century Polish composer’s heart. He requested it be returned to his homeland upon his death — his sister transported the organ from Paris in a jar of alcohol.
Hala Koszyki A collection of wine bars, delis and more, ‘Basket Hall’ in south-central Warsaw is a one-stop shop for epicu- reans. The art nouveau market hall’s inner arcade — all red brick and green steel — plays host to 1920s-inspired Bar Koszyki, while the western wing houses everything from bakeries to fi ne dining restaurants serving authentic Polish cuisine.
First published in the Jan/ Feb 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). Read the feature in full at
nationalgeographic.com/travel
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