Description of the attraction
Theater Square is one of the main squares of the Srodmiescie district in Warsaw. It stretches from the Bolshoi Theater to Senatorskaya Street.
On the site of the present Teatralnaya Square, located near the royal palace, the construction of the palace of Queen Marysenka, the wife of the Polish king Jan Sobieski, was completed in 1695. Also, by her order, shopping arcades were built on the square, which were named Maryvil. The palace, however, was demolished in 1833 to make way for the construction of the Bolshoi Theater, designed by the architect Corazzi.
By the end of the 19th century, Teatralnaya Square became the center of the secular and cultural life of the Polish capital. It was an extremely lively place with a theater and a city hall, wine shops, restaurants fashionable at that time for wealthy citizens, the editorial office of the Warsaw Courier, clothing stores, jewelry and tobacco shops. It also housed the building of the National Opera, as well as the New Theater, where one could see modern drama performances. Various patriotic demonstrations took place in Theater Square, including the January Uprising, which was brutally suppressed.
During the Warsaw Uprising, Teatralnaya Square witnessed fierce battles between German troops and the partisan liberation army. Most of the buildings were badly damaged or completely destroyed.
In the 1990s, many buildings that had been located here in the pre-war period were restored on Teatralnaya Square. The reconstruction was carried out in accordance with the original architectural plans.
Today, city officials hold their meetings in a building located in the northern part of Theater Square, and local residents gather in the square during city holidays, parades and carnivals.
