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Old photos of Warsaw

39 photographs of Warsaw, from 1905 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Warsaw? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 39 photographs of Warsaw on PlaceWas span 9 decades, from 1905 to 2025. 18 of them were taken before 1980; the other 21 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.9 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.33 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Warsaw through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Cathedral of Archangel Michael, Warsaw — photos through time
Cathedral of Archangel Michael 16 photos · 1905–2025
Pałac Kultury i Nauki i drapaczy, Warsaw — photos through time
Pałac Kultury i Nauki i drapaczy 5 photos · 1939–2019
Centro financiero varsovia, Warsaw — photos through time
Centro financiero varsovia 4 photos · 2016–2024
A Warsaw skyline at dusk, Warsaw — photos through time
A Warsaw skyline at dusk 2 photos · 2015–2025
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-270-0298-06, Polen, Ghetto Warschau, Straßenszene, Warsaw — photos through time
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-270-0298-06, Polen, Ghetto Warschau, Straßenszene 2 photos · 1942
Hotel Polonia Palace, Warsaw — photos through time
Hotel Polonia Palace 2 photos · 1939–2020
Warsaw, the Old Town Market Square, northwest side, Warsaw — photos through time
Warsaw, the Old Town Market Square, northwest side 2 photos · 1945–1990
PL Warszawa Stare Miasto, Warsaw — photos through time
PL Warszawa Stare Miasto 2 photos · 1945–1990
Warsaw, Warsaw — photos through time
Warsaw 2 photos · 1993–2006

Stories from Warsaw

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2005-0016, Polen, Warschau, zerstörter Hauptbahnhof, Warsaw, 1939
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2005-0016, Polen, Warschau, zerstörter Hauptbahnhof 1939 For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions , which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme . Polen, Warschau, 2.11.1939 Blick auf den zerstörten Teil…
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-270-0298-06, Polen, Ghetto Warschau, Straßenszene, Warsaw, 1942
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-270-0298-06, Polen, Ghetto Warschau, Straßenszene 1942 View on Marszałkowska Street from a square in front of Vienna Train Station. Visible section of Marszałkowska from Lothe's townhouse at the intersection with Aleje Jerozolimskie (right), through Widok Street, all the way…
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-270-0298-06, Polen, Ghetto Warschau, Straßenszene (cropped), Warsaw, 1942
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-270-0298-06, Polen, Ghetto Warschau, Straßenszene (cropped) 1942 View on Marszałkowska Street from a square in front of Vienna Train Station. Visible section of Marszałkowska from Lothe's townhouse at the intersection with Aleje Jerozolimskie (right), through Widok Street, all the way…
Cathedral of Archangel Michael, Warsaw, 2010
Cathedral of Archangel Michael 2010 The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian in Warsaw's Praga district, photographed in 2010. Completed in the early twentieth century in Neo-Gothic style, it is one of the tallest churches in the Polish…
A gift from and monument to Josif Stalin in the middle of contemporary Warsaw, Warsaw, 2012
A gift from and monument to Josif Stalin in the middle of contemporary Warsaw 2012 The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland, photographed in 2012. Completed in 1955 as a gift from the Soviet Union under Stalin, the skyscraper remains the tallest building in Poland and a landmark of the…
Pałac Kultury i Nauki i drapaczy, Warsaw, 2014
Pałac Kultury i Nauki i drapaczy 2014 The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland, photographed in 2014 alongside the modern skyscrapers that have risen around it. Completed in 1955 as a gift from the Soviet Union, it remains one of the tallest…
Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw in the evening, June, Warsaw, 2019
Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw in the evening, June 2019 Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science glows in the evening light in this June 2019 photograph. Built between 1952 and 1955 as a gift from the Soviet Union, the skyscraper remains one of the tallest buildings in Poland…
Hotel Polonia Palace, Warsaw, 2020
Hotel Polonia Palace 2020 The Hotel Polonia Palace in Warsaw, photographed in 2020. Opened in 1913, it is one of the few grand hotels in the city center to have survived the Second World War largely intact, and it continues to operate near the…
1900s · 1 photo
1920s · 2 photos
1930s · 9 photos
1940s · 5 photos
1970s · 1 photo
1990s · 3 photos
2000s · 1 photo
2010s · 12 photos
2020s · 5 photos