Masovian (Mazowsze) is the central voivodeship of Poland, built around Warsaw, the capital, whose Old Town was rebuilt after 1944 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beyond the city lie Chopin's birthplace at Żelazowa Wola, the riverside cathedral city of Płock, the brick castle town of Pułtusk and the forests and dunes of Kampinos National Park.
Masovia (Mazowsze) is the political heart of Poland. Płock served as the capital from 1079 to 1138, Masovian dukes ruled a semi-independent duchy until it joined the Crown in 1526, and Warsaw replaced Kraków as the royal capital after the Sejm moved there and Sigismund III Vasa relocated the court around 1596. Swedish invasions in the 1650s, the Partitions, the November and January Uprisings, the 1920 Battle of Warsaw, the Nazi occupation with the Ghetto Uprising of 1943 and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and Communist-era reconstruction all left marks. The meticulous rebuilding of Warsaw's Old Town, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980, is a defining achievement of the region.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Masovian.
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1
Baptism of Poland and Early Piast Rule
The Piast dynasty adopts Christianity and begins to consolidate the lands of the Vistula basin, including Masovian territories and the stronghold at Płock.
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2
Płock as Seat of Power
Prince Władysław I Herman and then Bolesław III Wrymouth rule from Płock. The Cathedral on Tumskie Hill becomes the burial place of both rulers.
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3
Testament of Bolesław III
The division of Poland into duchies creates the Duchy of Masovia under the Masovian Piasts, which remains largely independent for centuries.
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4
Founding of Warsaw
Duke Bolesław II of Masovia builds a stronghold at Warsaw, which grows into the ducal seat by the late 14th century.
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5
Battle of Grunwald
Masovian knights fight alongside the Polish and Lithuanian armies against the Teutonic Order, a victory that shaped later Central European power.
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6
Masovia Joins the Crown
After the death of the last Masovian Piast duke, Janusz III, the duchy is incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland.
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7
Union of Lublin
The Sejm meets in Warsaw, centrally located between Poland and Lithuania, and approves the union that creates the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
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8
Warsaw Becomes the Royal Seat
King Sigismund III Vasa moves the royal court from Kraków to Warsaw and rebuilds the Royal Castle.
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9
The Swedish Deluge
Swedish armies repeatedly occupy and plunder Warsaw and Masovia, devastating towns and castles.
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10
Wilanów Palace and Sobieski
King Jan III Sobieski, victor at Vienna in 1683, builds his Baroque residence at Wilanów.
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11
Constitution of 3 May
The Great Sejm adopts Europe's first modern written constitution in the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
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12
Partitions and the Duchy of Warsaw
Warsaw falls to Prussia and then forms the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw from 1807 to 1815.
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13
November Uprising
Poles rise against Russian rule; the uprising is crushed after the battle of Olszynka Grochowska and Warsaw's fall.
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14
January Uprising
A second Polish rebellion against Russia fought largely as guerrilla war; Masovia sees many skirmishes before its defeat.
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15
Independence
Poland regains independence on 11 November 1918 and Warsaw is the capital of the Second Republic.
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16
Battle of Warsaw
Polish forces under Józef Piłsudski halt the Red Army at the gates of Warsaw, the 'Miracle on the Vistula'.
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17
Nazi Occupation and the Holocaust
Germany occupies Warsaw in September 1939, creates the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940 and the Treblinka death camp in 1942. About 800,000 people are murdered at Treblinka.
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18
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Jewish fighters of the Jewish Combat Organization and the Jewish Military Union resist deportation to Treblinka. The ghetto is destroyed.
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19
Warsaw Uprising
The Home Army rises against the German occupiers for 63 days. About 200,000 civilians die and the city is systematically razed afterwards.
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20
Reconstruction
Warsaw's Old Town is rebuilt from Bellotto paintings; the Palace of Culture and Science is completed in 1955 as a Soviet gift.
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21
UNESCO Listing and Solidarity
The Old Town is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List; the Solidarity movement emerges from the Gdańsk strikes and wins wide support across Masovia.
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22
Round Table and Free Elections
The Round Table talks held in Warsaw lead to semi-free elections in June 1989 and the end of Communist rule.
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23
EU Accession
Poland joins the European Union; Warsaw's skyline and economy transform in the following two decades.
Historical eras
The chapters of Masovian's past.
Piast and Ducal Masovia
From the cathedral at Płock to the castles at Czersk and Warsaw, Masovia was a fortified duchy defended against Prussians and Lithuanians.
Royal Capital and Commonwealth
Warsaw became the capital; palaces such as Wilanów and the Royal Castle reflect this magnificence before the Partitions.
Partitions, Uprisings and Independence
Foreign rule and failed uprisings gave way to independence in 1918 and the victory over the Red Army in 1920.
War, Destruction and Rebuilding
Warsaw lost over 85 percent of its buildings in WWII; Communist Poland rebuilt the Old Town and added the Palace of Culture.
Historical sites
Places where Masovian's past comes alive.
Royal Castle in Warsaw
Seat of Polish kings and the Sejm, destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt; the Constitution of 3 May 1791 was adopted here.
Where: plac Zamkowy 4, Warsaw
Admission: about 40 PLN ($11)
Warsaw Old Town
UNESCO World Heritage Site rebuilt after WWII from historic paintings, drawings and photographs.
Where: Rynek Starego Miasta, Warsaw
Admission: Free
Wilanów Palace
Residence of King Jan III Sobieski, with later Potocki additions, one of the few Warsaw palaces to survive WWII largely intact.
Where: ul. Potockiego 10/16, Warsaw
Admission: about 45 PLN ($12)
Płock Cathedral and Tumskie Hill
Cathedral with the tombs of Władysław I Herman and Bolesław III Wrymouth, and a replica of the medieval bronze Płock Doors.
Where: Plac Katedralny, Płock
Admission: Free
Czersk Castle
Brick castle of the Masovian dukes that once guarded the Vistula crossing and ducal route to Warsaw.
Where: ul. Zamkowa 1, Czersk
Admission: about 12 PLN ($3)
Treblinka Memorial
Site of the German extermination camp where around 800,000 people were murdered; symbolic stone memorial by Franciszek Duszeńko and Adam Haupt unveiled in 1964.
Where: Wólka Okrąglik, Kosów Lacki
Admission: Free
Monument to the Ghetto Heroes
Memorial by Nathan Rapoport to the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, standing opposite the POLIN Museum.
Where: ul. Zamenhofa, Warsaw
Admission: Free
Museums
Curated collections that tell Masovian's story.
Warsaw Rising Museum
Interactive museum on the 1944 uprising in a former tram power station, with a replica Liberator bomber and the Memorial Wall.
Hours: Typically 8AM-6PM Mon, Wed-Fri; 10AM-6PM Sat-Sun
Admission: about 35 PLN ($9)
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Core exhibition tracing a thousand years of Jewish life in Poland.
Hours: Typically 10AM-6PM Mon, Wed-Fri; 10AM-8PM Sat-Sun
Admission: about 50 PLN ($13)
Museum of the Polish Army
Military museum with tanks, aircraft and uniforms from the Piast era to the present.
Hours: Typically 10AM-5PM Wed-Sun
Admission: about 15 PLN ($4)
National Museum in Warsaw
Poland's largest art museum with the Faras Gallery of Nubian murals and Polish painting.
Hours: Typically 10AM-6PM Tue-Sun
Admission: about 25 PLN ($7)
Museum of Warsaw
City museum in Old Town houses documenting Warsaw from medieval times to the 20th century.
Hours: Typically 11AM-7PM Tue-Sun
Admission: about 25 PLN ($7)
Historical tours
Guided experiences that bring history to life.
Walking tours
Free walking tours (tip-based) of the Old Town and Royal Route depart daily from Castle Square at the Sigismund Column; look for guides in coloured vests and book through freewalkingtour.com or ask at the Warsaw tourist information point on plac Zamkowy 1/3.
Day tours
Treblinka day tours from Warsaw cost about 380-520 PLN ($100-137) with a licensed guide; 'Chopin Żelazowa Wola' half-day tours cost about 250-400 PLN ($66-105).
Self guided tours
Use the free 'Warsaw Museum' app or the 'Warsaw Uprising Trail' markers; the Royal Route has Chopin benches with audio clips that play Chopin's music at no charge.
Audio tours
Audio guides in English are available at the Royal Castle, Wilanów Palace and POLIN for about 15 PLN ($4).