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Praga (Polish: Praga) is a historic district of the Polish capital — a suburb of Warsaw located on the right bank of the Vistula. The suburb received city status on February 10, 1648 by decree of King Władysław IV Vasa. On April 18, 1791, the city of Praga was abolished, becoming one of the historic districts of Warsaw. Today its territory is divided into the districts of Praga North and Praga South. The first mention of Praga dates back to 1432. The etymology of the name means “a place previously occupied by a forest that was burned to prepare the land for sowing.” On February 10, 1648, King Władysław IV Vasa granted Praga city status. The city center was located in the area of today’s Praga Park and the Warsaw Zoo. Of the old town hall, only the name of the street on which the building once stood has survived. The only surviving monument from that time is the Church of Our Lady of Loreto. The city of Praga consisted of three legal districts — Golędzinów (founded in 1764), Praga (founded in 1648) and Skaryszew-Kamion (founded in 1641).

warszawa.wikia.com, Szemrany

Who would have thought it, but Warsaw has its own Praga! And this is not a subtle stylistic metaphor, but a very real district of the city. Moreover, quite an old one.

It was formed after a small town called Praga became part of Warsaw. And this happened in 1791. Two old parks have survived in the district. One of them is called “Praga Park,” and the other “Skaryszewski Park.”

On the place where Praga Park now stands, Napoleonic fortifications once stood, military commands were heard, and the roar of shells rang out. And now the Warsaw Zoo operates here. It is home to bears, giraffes, and other animals rare for these latitudes.

Praga Park is a favorite recreational spot for adults and children. You can simply come here for a picnic, and sometimes, usually in summer, concerts and various festive events are held here.

While walking through the park, you can see a bust of Eliza Orzeszkowa, the famous Polish writer. Many of her novels and novellas have been translated, including into Russian: “Meir Ezofowicz,” “On the Niemen,” “Argonauts,” and others. Further on, a green path will lead you to the Śląsko-Dąbrowski Bridge, by which you can cross to the other bank of the Vistula to reach the Old Town.

Flickr, Kimmo Mäkeläinen

The Basilica of Saints Michael and Florian (Polish: Bazylika Świętych Michała i Floriana) is the cathedral of the Warsaw-Praga diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the capital of Poland. The church is located in the historic district of Praga. The cathedral was built in the Neo-Gothic style. In 1997 it was granted the status of a minor basilica. At the end of the 19th century, the Catholic community of Praga decided to build a Catholic church on what is now Veterans of 1863 Square, partly as a counterweight to the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene and to the administrative institutions of the Russian Empire located here at that time. Construction lasted from 1887 to 1904 according to the design of architect Józef Pius Dziekoński. The cathedral was consecrated in 1901 in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Florian, the patron saint of Poland. During World War II, during the defense of Warsaw in 1939, the church served as a shelter for civilians. The cathedral was blown up by the Nazis in September 1944 after the Warsaw Uprising.

fotopolska.eu, Wiesław Z.

The Cathedral of Mary Magdalene is the cathedral church dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles, of the Warsaw-Bielsk Diocese of the Polish Orthodox Church. It is located in the city of Warsaw, in the Praga district, at 52 Solidarity Avenue.

The Warsaw Zoo (Polish: Ogród Zoologiczny w Warszawie) is a zoological garden in the district of Praga Północ, in Warsaw, Poland. It was opened in 1928 on an area of 12 hectares with 500 animal species. Today its area is about 40 hectares. As of December 31, 2011, the zoo housed 3566 animals, representatives of 553 species, including 717 mammals of 67 species, 951 birds of 198 species, 316 reptiles of 86 species, 354 amphibians of 30 species, 1062 fish of 83 species, 166 invertebrates of 89 species, and 310 laboratory animals of 2 species. Since 2009, the director of the zoo has been Andrzej Kruszewicz. The Warsaw Zoo is part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, together with 10 other largest zoos in Poland that meet the standards and requirements of EAZA — in Wrocław, Toruń, Płock, Poznań, Opole, Gdańsk, Łódź, Kraków, Chorzów, and Zamość. The Warsaw Zoo has been included in the list of Warsaw monuments with registration number 1434-A since July 3, 1990.