Praga (not only) for beginners

Neon Museum photo Filip Kwiatkowski
© www.warsawtour.pl
Monument of Pragas Backyard Orchestra photo Iwona
Gmyrek © www.warsawtour.pl
Castle - mural at Praga photo Bartek Sawka
continue until Solidarnosci Avenue, cross the street and ask
for directions to the Basilica on Kaweczynska Street 6 .
Along the way, you will have an opportunity to step into
an inconspicuous bar called Praski Kociolek 7 , which offers
the best potato pancakes with stew in Warsaw. Continue down
Kaweczynska Street until Zabkowska Street where on your right
you will notice the prominent buildings of the former Koneser
Vodka Distillery 8 . Today, an innovative Google Campus is based
there, while designer lofts are under construction. You will soon
enter a completely different world, namely Brzeska Street 9 ,
reportedly the spookiest street in Warsaw.
Praga (not only)
for beginners
Filip Makowiecki
Warsaw citizen by choice, an avid cyclist, fan of Zoliborz and
Praga.
Mysterious alleys, trendy clubs, greenerym
and street art.
Full of surprising places, Praga is a gem
of Warsaw. Here, you can truly feel
the atmosphere of the capital’s history.
Giraffe sculpture in Praski Park photo Bartek Sawka
Some people say that Praga Polnoc can be narrowed down
to only two major streets: 11 Listopada and Zabkowska.
This is not true. The whole quarter is a beguiling place
for sightseeing or – what I recommend the most – disorderly
exploration, since by simply following the map, you will certainly
miss some noteworthy sculptures of heavenly angels, murals,
and Marian shrines.
Start your trip at Plac Wilenski 1 . Then follow Wilenska
and Inzynierska streets. Walking along the latter, you will see
numerous remains of the old days, including the historical
building of the former Joint-Stock Company for the Storage
and Transportation of Furniture and Goods, A. Wroblewski 2 .
Reach 11 Listopada Street and turn right to get to Praga’s
popular clubbing area 3 . It is worth coming back here in the
evening. Now, however, head towards Konopacka Street and
continue until Stalowa Street 4 . They may not look like much,
but you are actually walking down the cheapest streets
in the Polish edition of Monopoly.
Zabkowska Street © Warszawska Organizacja Turystyczna
If your heart is beating faster at the sight of the old industrial
buildings, you will love a walk along Szwedzka Street 5 . Next,
Praski Park photo Bartek Sawka
Once on Kijowska Street, turn left and go through the tunnel
10
of the modernistic Warsaw East Station . Head towards Minska
11
Street to SOHO , another example – after Koneser
– of how the red-brick Praga district has been revitalised.
On the way, do not miss my two favourite Warsaw murals
13
– the raven 12 and the castle .
On your way back, get to Okrzei Street and continue to walk
along Jagiellonska Street. At the corner, you will find classy pubs
such as Centrum Zarzadzania Swiatem and Bazar 14 ,
an extension of the bar area on Zabkowska. Take Florianska
Street where you can find the Monument of Praga’s Backyard
Orchestra 15 , and go past the Cathedral of St Michael
the Archangel and Florian the Martyr until you reach Solidarnosci
Avenue 16 . On the other side of this street, you will find Praski
Park, a paradise for joggers 17 , and a little further away, the Zoo 18 .
Now, it is time for our last task: find a giraffe sculpture 19
and pull it by the tail. I tell everyone it brings happiness
and ensures many adventures in the Praga district. In fact,
I am starting to believe it myself.
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