Around the World with the Griffin Post
Warsaw: The Tantalizing Capital by Declan Mitchell
Warsaw is the capital of Poland, and is located in the central-east part of the country in the Mazowieckie province, which it is also the capital of. While Warsaw isn’t known for being big, beautiful, or durable, it is known for being a phoenix, always being reborn after the depths of war. The city is over 800 years old. While the founding date is unknown, the first mention of Warsaw in documents was in the year 1313, but the settlement formerly known as Warszowa was settled around the year 1300, which turned into what we know as Warsaw. It is home to 1.86 million people and has a GDP of 91.32 billion Euros, or around $108 billion.
Warsaw lies on the Vistula (Wisła) River, which lies about 240 miles southeast of the city Gdańsk, which lies on the Baltic Sea. Warsaw also lies on the Warsaw Plain, which sits around 250-380 feet above sea level. The average temperature of Warsaw is quite mild as it has an average temperature in the 40s during the year, and it drops into the 20s in the winter months, and rises into the 60s in the summer. Snow falls for about two months of the year.
The city has an area of 172 square miles and is split into seven subdivisions, those being ÅšródmieÅ›cie, Å»oliborz, Wola, Ochota, Mokotów, Praga-PoÅ‚udnie, and Praga-PóÅ‚noc. Many Polish landmarks can be found in the city such as the National Shrine of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, St. John’s Cathedral, a monument remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, and a statue of Warsaw’s greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin.
The history of Warsaw is known as filled with destruction and rebirth. Starting in 1300, an old town called Jadzow was moved two miles north to Warszowa (Warsaw), and the village now had protection of a castle. In 1339, authority invested into a bailiff, and in 1376, there was a city council. At the end of the century, the growing settlement had a double line of ramparts.
Sometime in the 15th century, it became the capital of the duchy of Mazovia, in 1526, it became part of the Polish Kingdom, and in 1573, the elections of the king and the city’s first bridge was built over the Vistula River. In 1596 Sigismund III Vasa made the city his royal residence, and in 1611, it officially became the capital of Poland, after being moved from Kraków. It grew massively over the next 40 years as in 1655-1656, the Swedish invaded, which brought the country down for a while and in 1733, the War of the Polish Succession brought the country into economic decay and pestilence. After the war, Poland made many banks, and in 1764, King StanisÅ‚aw II August Poniatowski started his reign, which started a turning point for the better. He put Warsaw at the center of the Polish Enlightenment, he created the first Polish lay school in 1765, and in 1773, the Committee of Education was formed and took action immediately. Yet in 1791, there was the first partition of Poland, where a parliamentary constitution was formed in the city. There were then two more partitions, which set Warsaw in the region of Prussia. It wasn't for a long time, because in 1806, Napoleon invaded. He created the Duchy of Warsaw, which was reinstated as a capital again. Napoleon eventually fell later when conquering Russia. While still being under other countries, Warsaw and Poland wanted independence, and then started the Russo-Polish War, which the Poles had the advantage, which they then lost and was under 30 years of military rule. It was then kept up under the rule of the Russian Empire in the late 1860s. Nothing of true importance happened until after 1918, when Poland and Warsaw were liberated and gained independence, and Warsaw became the capital again. On September 1, 1939, Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, to start WW2. Sadly, more than 10,000 people died and more than 50,000 got injured. This was before there was a lack of supplies and Poland surrendered. Under Nazi rule, many concentration camps were formed, and the Jewish population got heavily destroyed during the Holocaust. The Nazis destroyed everything about Jewish culture during the war, including the Great Synagogue, which has thankfully been restored. In 1944, the Poles made a futile resistance attempt and the Nazis immediately shut it down, killing more than 150,000 in total. During the war, about 600,000-800,000 Poles died in the war. Warsaw became the capital once again, and in 1989, the communist regime finally collapsed, leaving Warsaw to be what it is now.
In conclusion, Warsaw is a tremendous city that has survived time and time again after the brinks of collapse and ruin, stating it as one of the most resilient capitals in Europe.
The Wonders of Amsterdam by Declan Mitchell
The city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands is one of the most floral cities in Europe. It is one of the biggest producers of flowers in the world and is one of the most well-known parts of the city, especially for tulips. As the capital of the Netherlands, it's known for many things, as well as being a port on the west coast and being connected to the IJsselmeer (a lake in northern Holland) and the North Sea. It is the city with the most money and one of the oldest cities in the country, as it declared rights in the year 1275, so it is officially 750 years old currently. It's known for a bustling metropolis, which is beset by environmental pollution. But with a population of 933,000 in a space of around 85 square miles, some pollution is bound to happen.
The history of Amsterdam is interesting; it was originally created to stop a fishing village from flooding on the Amstel River, which is why it's named Amsterdam. In the beginning it was a fishing city that was used for trade and commerce throughout northern Europe, going as far as the Baltic Sea. It connected northern Europe with Flanders, which was what we know as Belgium and Northern France. The city was named unofficially back in 1275, but a full charter was introduced to name the city Amsterdam in 1306. The city’s economy was booming. In 1489, as a sign of gratitude to the Burgundian-Austrians, Maximilian I, the then current emperor, was allowed to adorn the city with the imperial crown. Amsterdam was finally getting on the radar. After Dutch rule passed to the Spanish in the 16th century, there was an eventual revolt against the Spanish led by William I, the Prince of Orange. Amsterdam was hesitant, but joined in. There was no bloodshed, but many priests of the Roman Catholic Church were deported, eventually creating the Dutch Reformed Church. The revolt had started, as the Spanish took Antwerp, which was one of the biggest ports in the Netherlands at the time. The Netherlands responded by blocking off access to the sea. Many refugees took shelter in Amsterdam, which enriched the culture. Eventually, Germans and Portuguese soon joined the migration to Amsterdam. The Netherlands made colonies around the world in this timeframe in the Dutch East Indies (now known as Indonesia), South Africa, and in South America. Soon, Amsterdam became the trading capital of the world. Various kings and queens would get lent money, setting an influx to the region. There was an economic decline in the 1600s, eventually leading to a rapid power decline, yet they still helped colonial America sneak tea and other goods past Britain. There were regents that ruled the city. They taxed basic needs heavily, and naturally, by 1748, there were revolts. The regents acted with violence and crime; they hung ringleaders after the houses of tax-gatherers were raided. The regents lost, and then around 60 years later, Napoleon invaded Amsterdam, and his brother Louis claimed it as his residence. Thankfully, when Napoleon fell, so did the French rule of Amsterdam. Then for another 60 years, everything was fine again. Then in 1870, an industrial revolution ensued. It eventually lasted until 1900. They had a big diamond industry, and they gained sea access and many economic improvements. In 1901, they released the Housing Act, which improved the lives of many by getting rid of unsafe living conditions inside of slums, making minimum building standards. They made the quality of life better everywhere by making neighborhoods with low rent and acceptable living conditions. Only 39 years later, on May 10, 1940, the Nazis attacked Amsterdam and the Netherlands, taking it quickly. Many awful things happened, like Jewish deportation. Yet after the war, the Netherlands made a comeback. They rebuilt it into the country it is today.
It is now known as one of the most popular cities in Europe, with a fascinating history.