2014 Honeynet Project Workshop
12-14 May 2014 | Warsaw
Places to visit
The Old Town
A place every tourist should visit is the Old Town, one of city historical centers, which was inscribed onto UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1980. It is lined up with eye-catching tiered burghers' houses, which will be enjoyed not only by the architecture lovers. The visitor's first view when entering the Old Town is Castle Square with Zygmunt's Column and the Royal Castle, which was the official residence of Polish monarchs. Nowadays, the Castle serves as a museum.
Parks and Palaces
Enthusiasts of nature and outdoor sightseeing will find Warsaw parks a great place to spend their time, with The Lazienki Park being one of the most beautiful. It is a magnificent palatial and garden complex built by King Stanislaw August Poniatowski during the second half of the 18th century and features the neoclassical Palace on the Water (Lazienki Palace) surrounded by magnificent gardens, canals and ponds. Another one would be The Saxon Gardens once serving as the gardens of now nonexistent Saxon Palace. This magnificent park features shady tree-lined avenues, Baroque sculptures, an elegant 19-century fountain and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a grave reminder of Poland's recent past. Wilanów Palace with its beautiful gardens and surrounding lake is also a definite must see.Museums
World War 2 is an event that deeply affected Warsaw, wiping out nearly the entire city. To understand modern Warsaw, you have to understand its role in the war. There is no better place to do that than the Warsaw Uprising Museum dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It collects and maintains hundreds of exhibits, ranging from weapons used in the uprising to love letters, in order to paint the picture of the people which were involved in it. All of it is accompanied by multimedia presentations, interviews and movies, which help to understand what really happened during that dreadful time, making it a museum like no other.
Not just music enthusiasts will find the Fryderyk Chopin Museum a must-see place. Especially now after it was refurbished for the 200th anniversary (2010) of Fryderyk Chopin's birth, this multimedia museum is one of the most modern museums in Poland. Its collections are displayed on five levels of exhibition space. It's an unique experience and definitely a jewel of Warsaw museums.
Geeks can also find some interesting places in Warsaw. If you are interested in science and technology you should definitely visit Copernicus Science Centre located on the bank of the Vistula River. It contains over 450 interactive exhibits that enable visitors to single-handedly carry out experiments and discover the laws of science for themselves. The Centre is the largest institution of this type in Poland and one of the most advanced in Europe.
The Marie Curie Museum, devoted to the life and work of the famous Polish two-time Nobel Prize laureate Maria Skłodowska-Curie is also a place to visit.
For those more into WW2 history (which Warsaw is full of) and not of faint heart another “attraction” is The Gestapo Headquarters Museum. After the outbreak of World War II, the Nazis took over the building and turned it into the headquarters of the Sicherheitspolizei and Sicherheitsdienst police forces. The whole street was closed to Poles. In the basement of the building Nazis set up rough jails, where through brutal interrogations forced testimonies on prisoners. In July 1946 the Polish government decided to designate the site as a place of martyrdom, a testament to the suffering and heroism of the Poles and the jails will remain untouched and turned into a museum.
The recently opened Museum of the History of Polish Jews - a tribute to the large pre-war Polish Jewish community - located at the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto is also a place to see.
Palace of Culture and Science
The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland. A testament to the Stalinist era, and viewed by many Poles as somewhat controversial, it now serves many useful purposes, hosting conferences, theaters, cinemas, schools and other institutions. You can ride up to the top to get a view of Warsaw.
Nightlife
Many cities lay claim to the best parties in Poland, but only Warsaw's nightlife credentials bear up to serious examination. Cracow may boast more bars per square meter than anywhere else on the planet and Poznan is often cited as the home of electronic music in Poland, but if you're looking for all-night parties, great people, international DJs, fantastic venues and generally plenty of all-night-long parties then there's only one place to start your search - in Poland's vibrant, cosmopolitan and fast-paced capital. Warsaw boasts every type of entertainment from boho bars and louche lounges to meatmarket clubs and hands-in-the-air techno joints. A little knowledge is often the only key needed to unlock her best treasures (or you can always ask a Warsovian for directions to the nearest pub).
Trips outside Warsaw
One-day or two-day trips to other Polish towns are also possible. Most notably Kraków, the premier tourist destination in Poland - worth a longer visit. Not destroyed during World War II, unlike most cities in Poland, it offers a wealth of attractions. Gdańsk, a city north by the Baltic is also a big tourist attracting, along with Malbork castle - the largest red brick medieval castle in Europe. However, there are many many other places worth a visit too. The preferable way of travel would be by train or plane.
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The 2014 Honeynet Project Workshop is sponsored by:
