Warsaw has two historic districts, called Old Town and New Town. They are adjacent to each other and the newer section is almost as old as the Old Town.

Warsaw's OLD TOWN (Polish: Stare Miasto, "Starowka") is the oldest part of the city of Warsaw and one of its most prominent tourist attractions. The heart of the area is the Old Town Market Place, with its unique traditional Polish restaurants, cafés and shops. Surrounding streets feature medieval architecture such as the city walls, barbican and St. John's Cathedral.
During the World War II and the Invasion of Poland (1939), much of the district was badly damaged by the German Luftwaffe, which targeted the city's residential areas and historic landmarks in a campaign of terror bombing. Following the Siege of Warsaw, parts of the Old Town were rebuilt, but immediately after the Warsaw Uprising (August-October 1944) what had been left standing was systematically blown up by the German Army. A statue commemorating the Uprising, "the Little Insurgent," now stands on the Old Town's medieval city wall.
After World War II, the Old Town was again meticulously rebuilt. As many of the original bricks were reused as possible. The rubble was sifted for reusable decorative elements, which were reinserted into their original places. Bernardo Bellotto's 18th-century vedute, as well as Interbellum architecture students' drawings, were used as essential guides in the reconstruction effort.


Warsaw's NEW TOWN (Polish: Nowe Miasto) was initially established to curb the unchecked growth that had snowballed beyond the city walls. Hence the New Town, founded in 1402, was given its own charter and corporation along the lines of its elder brother. A market square and town hall were built and a number of churches and monasteries sprung up. It was not fortified in contrast to the Old Town. The New Town was merged with the rest of the city in 1791.
Like the Old Town, the New Town was systematically destroyed by the Germans during World War II and was rebuilt after the war.