Meet Andreas von Beckerath, the ambassador of Sweden in Poland.
We asked him about his favourite spots in Warsaw. What does he like doing in free time?
Here’s where he took us:
– Royal Łazienki Garden, a place where you can listen to classical music concerts for free,
– Agrykola Park, where you can do various sports
– Krakowskie Przedmieście with the beautiful University of Warsaw Campus – there’s a monument for “permanent students”, did you know? 🙂
– Places that connect Poland and Sweden, like King Sigismund’s Column and PAST-a building
– Saxon Garden, one of the oldest public gardens in Europe
This is his Warsaw. What is yours?
Let us know in comments.
#discoverwarsaw
[Music] Today I have a day off so I have the pleasure to show you some of my favorite spots in the beautiful city of Warsaw. I’ll just change clothes into something more comfortable. Come on, let’s go! I’m fortunate not only to be living in a beautiful house like this, but to live in this location, because it’s very close to one of my favorite spots in Warsaw, the beautiful Łazienki Garden. But first, coffee! One reason why I really enjoy living in this area, is that there are so many nice cafes, where you can go and have a coffee and go brunching. And today I’m extra lucky because my daughter is visiting. I really like the wonderful tradition here in the Łazienki Garden. Right here at the Chopin monument, from mid-May until end of September, every Sunday, there are wonderful Chopin concerts. And I’m very lucky because I live so close I can even sit at the terrace and hear these wonderful piano concerts. I really like strolling around the Łazienki Garden. There are all many beautiful places. Villas, monuments to discover. Including a theater and an amphitheater. You can even discover some wildlife, like peacocks, swans and tamed squirrels. The Łazienki Garden is also the perfect place to go jogging. Together with my son we ran the Warsaw half marathon and the Łazienki garden was really the perfect place to practice. There are a lot of nice views in Warsaw, but if I would pick one that is my favorite, it would probably be this one, the beautiful back facade of the Palace on the Isle. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The Łazienki Garden is also close to the Agrykola, where I often go down and play basketball. Riding a bike is really a nice way to get around in Warsaw. There’s so much history to explore in Warsaw. Not least the history of Polish resistance during different times of hardship, which here is symbolized by the monument of Solidarność Here in the heart of Warsaw, there’s so much to see. Of course, this famous Church of the Holy Cross where Chopin’s heart is famously buried inside one of the pillars. But there are so many other nice things to see, including the Warsaw University, where we’re heading now, one of my favorite spots. I wish I was slightly younger, I would for sure have picked this University to study at. Such a beautiful campus and so much history within these walls. So many famous people that have studied and lived here, including of course Fryderyk Chopin, but also several Nobel Prize winners, Prime Ministers and other well-known people, including Olga Tokarczuk. Every time I walk here, I’m filled with knowledge and urge to learn and to study. And of course, the famous statue of the permanent student. Someone I think we all have a lot of sympathy with. He looks very happy, so would I be to be a student at this wonderful University. So not too far away from here, we have the Warsaw Castle. And outside the Warsaw Castle, we have the famous column of Sigismund III Vasa. A reminder that Sweden and Poland once shared a common king. But I think most importantly we’re not only sharing a common history, we share a common future together with Poland as members of the European Union and members of NATO. This is another important spot for me, because this is the Holy Trinity Church. And here, once a year, we always celebrate Santa Lucia. We invite one of Sweden’s best choirs that gives concert in this beautiful and fantastic church. This is also a very well-known park, the Saxon Garden in Warsaw. Actually, it’s one of the oldest public gardens in Europe. There are a lot of important spots which unite Sweden and Poland in Warsaw, as well. One of those building is the famous PAST-a building, where the Swedish company Cedergren, which later became Ericson, had a telephone operating center. And this building also played a very important role during the Warsaw Uprising. You can also see the sign on top of the the roof of this building. Thank you so much for joining me to some of my favorite spots in my current hometown, Warsaw. But believe me, there is a lot more to explore in Warsaw.