Warsaw Timeline

Pre-1300: A small fishing village exists on the banks of the Vistula
1413: Warsaw becomes the seat of the Dukes of Mazovia; early castle built
1525: First in a history of several Warsaw Uprisings
1526: Last of the Mazovian Dukes dies, and Warsaw passes to the Polish Crown
1529: Parliament held in Warsaw for the first time
1596: Capital of Poland moved from to Warsaw by King Zygmunt III Waza
1683: Victory at Vienna by King Jan III Sobieski, who built the palace at Wilanow
1791: Constitution of the 3rd of May signed at Saint John’s Cathedral
1794: Kosciuszko Uprising against the partitioning powers
1795: Final partition puts Warsaw under Prussian rule
1806: Napoleon liberates Warsaw
1815: Warsaw annexed by the Russian Empire
1830: An uprising against the Tsar begins at the Cadet College in Lazienki Park
1863: Another uprising staged against Russian authorities, with harsh reprisals
1918: Poland regains independence
1920: The Wonder of the Vistula, victory in the Battle of Warsaw against the Soviets, secures independent Poland’s borders
1920-1939: Interwar Warsaw expands, develops and modernizes
1939: German armies bomb Warsaw and march in to occupy the city
1940: Building of the Jewish ghetto
1943: Jewish Ghetto Uprising
1944: Warsaw Uprising
1945: Warsaw liberated by the Soviet Army, creation of the People’s Republic of Poland
1953: Rebuilding of historic Warsaw begins
1955: Palace of Culture and Science completed
1968: Riots in Warsaw against censorship and repression
1974: Rebuilding of the Royal Castle completed
1975: Warsaw’s Central Station built
1976: First serious workers’ riot in Warsaw
1979: Inspirational visit of Pope John Paul II
1980: Historic Warsaw becomes a UNESCO World Heritage site
1981: Institution of martial law
1989: First round table talks at the Presidential Palace
1990: Third Republic
1995: Warsaw Metro opened
2012: Co-hosting of the football Euro 2012 with Ukraine