Warsaw is aptly described as a Phoenix city because most of the city was reconstructed by its citizens after World War II when more than 85% of Warsaw’s historic center had been deliberately destroyed by Nazi troops. Apart from it, Warsaw is also recognized as a vibrant European city, home to an opera house, various smaller theatres and one of the earliest modern conservatories in Europe. The city is always alive with the sound of music, and among the most often heard was the music of Chopin. He is Poland’s greatest composer, as well as Warsaw’s favorite son, and is famed around the world as a composer and pianist. You must have heard about him and his immortal music!
Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola, a small village about 46 km west of Warsaw, and he spent his childhood and early youth in Warsaw, where he started to study music, advanced his talent and experienced his first successes on stage. Roaming the streets of Warsaw, you can find many traces of Chopin and listen to his music.
???Throughout the summer, from May to September on Sunday afternoons, visitors can enjoy a public concert in the beautiful Royal Łazienki Park, so-called Chopin Concerts at the Royal Łazienki, where some of Poland’s finest pianists give a professional performance next to the Monument to Chopin. (This year’s Chopin Concerts has been moved to the Internet.) If you miss the concert, you can still spend some time strolling the scenic Łazienki park and relaxing on a Chopin bench, press the button on the bench to hear a thirty or forty seconds long fragments of Chopin’s compositions, which seems like an auto-play Piano in the park. You can find a route map and the story in Polish and English about the site’s relevance to Chopin, or scan the QR code that was carved on the bench to learn more about Chopin’s music and life. There are 15 musical benches placed at key sites connected with his life in Warsaw, also called Chopin benches. You can find them in locations like Krasinski Square, or Saski Palace, the Chopin family’s former residence, and so on. Each bench has its own piece of music and can play even if it´s raining or snowing.
⛪️One of the most important places about Chopin’s Warsaw is the Holy Cross where the heart of Chopin rests. As the 39-year-old Chopin was dying in Paris, he asked his sister to bring his heart back to their motherland. Eventually, his heart was brought back to Warsaw and bricked into a column of the Holy Cross Church which has a plate with the following inscription: “Where you keep your treasure is where you will find your heart. To Frederic Chopin – compatriots”.
?The Fryderyk Chopin Museum is a place to dive deep into the life of the great man, which is a very modern and interactive museum with a rich collection including the composer’s last piano and manuscripts of his letters and compositions. A trip to his museum is a must on any visit to Warsaw.
?There are still many other places associated with Chopin in Warsaw. Contact us to plan and book your perfect trip to Poland right now!
