Things to See in Warsaw: the Mermaid and Praga’s Film Streets

Warsaw is the city represented by the Mermaid on its coat of arms and in statues and other imagery. For things to see in Warsaw, start with that distinctive symbol, then notice Praga’s less-destroyed streets, which have become film backdrops.

What can you see in Warsaw?

The Mermaid of Warsaw is a symbol of the city, represented on Warsaw’s coat of arms as well as through a number of statues and other imagery. That makes the Mermaid a useful visual detail to look for as you explore Warsaw: it appears not only in the city’s official emblem but also in the wider imagery associated with the city.

What makes Praga worth noticing in Warsaw?

Praga is worth noticing because it was less destroyed than the western side of Warsaw during WWII. Its surviving streets have inspired a lot of filmmakers and have been used as backdrops for movies, giving this part of Warsaw a direct connection to film history.

Roman Polański was one of the directors who chose Praga as a location connected with his filmmaking. The tour material uses The Pianist as a visual reference: an attached image shows a particular movie perspective that you can attempt to recreate in Praga.

How can you explore this part of Warsaw?

Try the documented photo recreation at one stop on Looking for the perfect artist’s studio in Praga: compare the attached image from The Pianist with the view and take your own photo to get the same perspective. This is one activity at one documented stop, not a description of the whole route.

Share this page with the travel companion who is planning Warsaw: it gives them two specific things to look for—the Mermaid imagery and Praga’s film-used streets—and one activity to try there. Keep it beside Leplace’s explore page, then save the Praga photo challenge for your walk.