Poland - WARSAW

Warsaw -

In 2012, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Warsaw as the 32nd most liveable city in the world. In 2017, the city came 4th in the "Business-friendly", 8th in "Human capital and lifestyle" and topped the quality of life rankings in the region. The city is a significant center of research and development, business process outsourcing, and information technology outsourcing. The Warsaw Stock Exchange is the largest and most important in Central and Eastern Europe. Frontex, the European Union agency for external border security as well as ODIHR, one of the principal institutions of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have their headquarters in Warsaw. Jointly with Frankfurt and Paris, Warsaw features one of the highest numbers of skyscrapers in the European Union.

The city is the seat of the Polish Academy of Sciences, National Philharmonic Orchestra, University of Warsaw, the Warsaw University of Technology, the National Museum, Zachęta Art Gallery, and the Warsaw Grand Theatre, the largest of its kind in the world. The picturesque Old Town, which represents examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. Other main architectural attractions include the Royal Castle and the iconic King Sigismund's Column, the Wilanów Palace, the Palace on the Isle, St. John's Cathedral, Main Market Square as well as numerous churches and mansions along the Royal Route. Warsaw is positioning itself as Central and Eastern Europe's chic cultural capital with thriving art or club scenes and restaurants, with around a quarter of the city's area occupied by parks.

Toponymy and names -

Warsaw's name in the Polish language is Warszawa. Other previous spellings of the name may have included Warszewa, Warszowa, Worszewa, or Werszewa. The exact origin of the name is uncertain and has not been fully determined. Originally, Warszawa was the name of a small fishing settlement on the banks of the Vistula river. One theory states that Warszawa means "belonging to Warsz", Warsz being a shortened form of the masculine Old Polish name Warcisław, which etymologically is linked with Wrocław. However the ending -awa is unusual for a large city; the names of Polish cities derived from personal names usually end in -ów/owo/ew/ewo (e.g. Piotrków, Adamów).

Folk etymology attributes the city name to a fisherman, Wars, and his wife, Sawa. According to legend, Sawa was a mermaid living in the Vistula with whom Wars fell in love. In actuality, Warsz was a 12th/13th-century nobleman who owned a village located at the modern-day site of the Mariensztat neighborhood. The official city name in full is miasto stołeczne Warszawa ("The Capital City of Warsaw").

Other names for Warsaw include Varsovia (Latin, Spanish) and Varsóvia (Portuguese), Varsovie (French), Varsavia (Italian), Warschau (German, Dutch), װאַרשע /Varshe (Yiddish), Варшава / Varšava (Russian), Varšuva (Lithuanian), Varsó (Hungarian), Varšava (Croatian, Serbian, Slovene and Czech).

15 Best Things to do in Warsaw, Poland - (Earth Trekkers - https://www.earthtrekkers.com/best-things-to-do-in-warsaw-poland/)

01`. ''Drinking You off My Mind'' - Thyra - https://www.epidemicsound.com/artists/thyra/
02. ''Always Been a Dreamer'' - Staffan Carlen - https://www.epidemicsound.com/artists/staffan-carlen/
03. ''Heart & Soul'' - Blood Red Sun - https://www.epidemicsound.com/artists/blood-red-sun/

Source - POPtravel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClODDXeUIz1-FaKyN8dsNrA
Author: "Daniel Sczepansky / POPtravel.org" - https://www.poptravel.org
License: "CC BY SA" - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

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