Exploring the colourful side of Warsaw: Red-brick resilience and neon nightlife

Landing the day previous, I set out to explore Warsaw on June 4. The date marks 36 years since the first elections that led to the dissolution of the communist government in Poland.

People may have breathed a sigh of relief, but the cities and society at large would need rebuilding – something Warsaw has done time and time again.

As much as 85 per cent of the capital was flattened by the Nazi regime as they occupied the territory in 1939 during the Second World War; a deliberate message to the world. Then, civilians – particularly the previously thriving Jewish community – were terrorised and brutally murdered in their hundreds of thousands.

It's this sordid past that often marks Warsaw as a destination for dark tourism, and this isn't something the people of modern-day Poland shy away from.

“We have wounds,” my guide, Piotr, tells me as we walk around the Old Town. “Maybe because of these wounds, we are not like Prague or Florence. But on the other hand, we have a story to tell.”

This is undeniable as you explore the city. Visit the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, walk the line where the walls of the Jewish ghetto once stood, or leave the city borders to pay your respects at one of the camps where unspeakable tragedy occurred. Look up as you wander the streets, and you'll spot walls tarnished by bullet holes, on display as a reminder of the people's resistance. “We are proud of our scars,” Piotr adds.

While it's important not to shy away, dark moments in its past shouldn't overshadow the Warsaw of today. From red-brick buildings to neon lights, here's what the colourful side of the city has to offer.

Green: Tree-lined streets and thriving veggie dining scene

Leaving the UAE in the wake of the hottest May on record, I eagerly pencil in a spring visit to Lazienki Park. Walking through the expansive grounds, which span about 76 hectares, I stumble upon a statue of Poland's international treasure, Frederic Chopin, the composer and virtuoso pianist. It's no twist of fate, however, as it's hard to go too far in Warsaw, not far from where he was born in 1810, without spotting an homage to him. But this spot is extra-special, as for 66 years, free summer concerts have been held around Chopin's statue in the park every Sunday, keeping his legacy alive.

Nature isn't confined to small squares and the odd city park, either. Linden and maple trees line the streets, while the University of Warsaw Library's rooftop garden is an ideal spot to contemplate while surrounded by greenery. Kampinos National Park, on the north-western outskirts of the city, is worth a visit too.

Verdant in more ways than one, Warsaw also has more vegan eateries per capita than any other city in Europe. During my visit, I visit vegan bakery Eter for gorgeous sticky buns and matcha, and head to a lovely lunch of artichoke flatbread and tofu stir-fry at the vegetarian Secret Life Cafe. It's not just the specialised eateries, either; at Nobu, the team pull together a seven-course degustation menu for both vegetarians and vegans.

Red: National pride and rebuilding bricks

Poland's flag isn't hard to spot in the streets of Warsaw, its red and white stripes waving proudly. The colours have long been associated with national pride; the red represents courage, and it's a sentiment you can practically inhale when navigating the city.

Sometimes, it is jubilantly obvious, like the endless pride over Chopin. Even the airport we arrive in from Abu Dhabi shares its moniker with the musician.

At other times, this pride and persistence are more subtle. Taking a pew in Holy Cross Church, home to the relic of Chopin's heart (supposedly his dying wish to his sister as he found his fame in foreign lands), you need only glance at the alter to spot the step that sticks outs in its beautifully rebuilt surroundings; a stone survivor of the church's destruction from a Nazi bulldozer. There is no attempt at camouflage.

It's a theme throughout Warsaw's Old Town, its entirety being a Unesco Heritage site. Despite being almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, it was slowly rebuilt in the years after.

Working around and preserving any trace of the city that still stood, reconstruction efforts went into not only restoring its prewar beauty brick by brick, but also mirroring the paintwork of Italian landscape artist Bernardo Bellotto, who likewise fell in love with the city when he visited in 1767.

Neon: Electric nightlife and warehouse glow-ups

We're not short of malls in the UAE, but that won't stop me from a shopping excursion when on my travels. I head to Elektrownia Powisle, located in the lively Powisle neighbourhood.

It’s not just the shops that have allure; in a past life, the building served as a power plant. Initially opened in 1904, the plant stood firm through the city's trials and tribulations of the 20th century, finally shutting shop in 2001. Preserving its past, it still possesses a neon glow and retains much of its original structure, including the bullet wounds. Although I can't resist the beauty hall, it's worth visiting without spending even a groschen. Just wander the food court for a crash course in nailing neon menu art.

Elektrownia Powisle is one of many following this path; Hala Koszyki is a basket factory that became a food court; Fabryka Norblina was a metalwork factory and now stands as a culture and entertainment hub, as well as office and retail space.

And if you're a moth to a neon light, weave in a visit to the Neon Museum, as it is home to signs that lit up the country during the Cold War. It will reopen at a new location, in the Palace of Culture and Science, in July.

From the seasonal Night Market nestled in the former Central Railway Station to the bars I peek into as I walk the city, the fun aesthetic still reigns supreme.

Gold: Nobel gongs and culture champions

“We are the birthplace of heroes,” Piotr tells me as we reach the New Town. “But our heroes tend to live and die out of Poland,” he adds. Fresh from the Royal Route and Old Town, which could easily be renamed Chopin's Way, he delivers the line as we stand outside the birthplace of the legendary scientist Marie Curie.

Curie's early years were spent in Poland before moving to Paris for further study. Through her scientific discoveries and research into radioactivity, which revolutionised modern medicine, she made a lasting mark on history. She became not only the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, but also the only person to have won prizes in two scientific fields: chemistry and physics. Now, the 18th-century abode where she was born stands as the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Museum.

It's not the only nod to Nobel winners in the city. In Lazienki Park stands a statue of Henryk Sienkiewicz. Even before I'm close enough to inspect, I can detect it's an ode to a writer, the pensive stance and cast-away sheets at his feet giving him away. The gong-winning author's historical novels ran as newspaper instalments throughout the late 1880s.

Sienkiewicz travelled plenty, lived for many years in the US, and eventually died in Switzerland. Maybe Piotr has a point. However, a quick Google search tells me that Poland's most recent Nobel laureate, Olga Tokarczuk, who studied at the University of Warsaw and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2018, still resides in Walbrzych.

Such commemorations are just another clue into how much Warsaw values its legacy and heritage. Take the Palace of Culture and Science itself. Now home to museums, cinemas, theatres and likewise cultural institutes, it was built under Soviet rule to imitate the palaces of Russia, a so-called “gift” that was known as Stalin's palace. When added to the registry of cultural heritage in Poland in 2007, controversy arose, with some calling it a symbol of oppression that ought to be torn down. Yet, championing culture without eradicating dark history triumphed once again.

Perhaps it's simply time for the central European country to truly reclaim its narrative. Home to temporary shows now, the Polish History Museum – a stunning building boasting a grey marble cut-stone facade – is set to house a permanent exhibition by 2026.

“Every few years, you can find some new things about this city,” Piotr explains. “It's a changing place, you know. Warsaw has not finished its reconstruction.”

Although there is room for growth, people like Piotr have already struck gold with life in this city, he says. “I'm travelling a lot. I'm going to London, Paris, Berlin and so on. Yet still, I do like being here.”

Etihad Airways now flies from Zayed International Airport to Warsaw Chopin Airport four times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday