There are a lot of amazing places in Warsaw. Some of them are beautiful or historical and others are important because they belong to us and make us feel sentimental. Maybe something important to us happened in the neighbourhood. Yet other places are fascinating for a different reason. For me, one of the places which is interesting because of the past is the Swiss Valley in Warsaw.
Residents think that this place looks inconspicuous, but few people know that its current appearance is nothing like the original garden.

The Swiss Valley was set up as a pleasure garden. The current premises are only a part of the whole. Before the Warsaw Uprising it straggled from Piękna Street to Aleja Róż Street. At the beginning in the garden there were bowers built in the Swiss style for little shops with beer, sausages and sweets. This is probably how the park got its name. Alleys, flowerbeds and music beguiled us on walks. With time the Valley acquired a more ludic character. The Great Valley Salon was built on the garden’s premises with an auditorium which matched the standards of European philharmonic halls. Edward and Jan Strauss, Ignacy Paderewski and Tadeusz Sygietyński all played here. For other pleasure seekers in the garden there were performances by illusionists, clairvoyants and fire-eaters. There were also tennis courts, a roller-skating rink, and in the autumn a fruit market was organized. In the winter the Valley was converted into a wonderful municipal ice rink. At the end of the XIX century a Summer Circus was set up. In connection with these projects the lead role of musicians was lessened. At the beginning of the XX century, part of the garden was urbanised. World War Two led to the end of the Valley. People didn’t want to walk there because of the proximity of the Gestapo Residence on Aleja Szucha Street. From this time the municipal centre crumbled little by little. A few years ago the Swiss Valley was modernised and you can now go there for a walk with the dog. You can sit down on one of the park benches and relish the sweet scent from the famous Słodki-Słony bakery, close your eyes and imagine that you are in the wonderful XIX century garden.
And you can sing along with Maryla Rodowicz:

“…The old life has gone away,
Today a warm winter scarf
only horses, but horses, only horses, but horses’ grief…”
Maybe in the future the Swiss Valley will regain its old time glamour.

Information taken from: http://pl.wikipedia.org