Ujazdów Avenue
Encyclopedia
Ujazdów Avenue is a major thoroughfare parallel to the Vistula River in the Śródmieście district of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

.

Origins of the avenue go to 1724-1731, when King August II ordered construction of the Calvary Road (Droga Kalwaryjska). By 1766 it was already a part of the Royal Route
Royal Route, Warsaw
The Royal Route in Warsaw, Poland, is a former communication route that led southward from the city's Old Town. It now comprises a series of connecting Warsaw streets that feature a number of historic landmarks....

 as Belweder Avenue leading to Belweder
Belweder
Belweder is a palace in Warsaw, a few kilometers south of the Royal Castle. The President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, resides at Belweder.-History:...

 palace. In the second half of the 19th century many villas and palaces belonging to Polish aristocracy and industrialists were built. After restoration of Polish independence in 1918 many of these houses were transformed to embassies. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 it was planned to be transformed into a German district, according to the Pabst Plan
Pabst Plan
The Pabst Plan was a Nazi German urban plan to reconstruct the city of Warsaw as a Nazi model city. Named after its creator Friedrich Pabst, the Nazis' "Chief Architect for Warsaw", the plan assumed that Warsaw, the historical capital of Poland and a city of 1.5 million inhabitants, would be...

. Nazi authorities renamed the avenue to Lindenallee and later to Siegenallee. During the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...

 of 1944 the street and the surrounding buildings were mostly destroyed. Reconstruction works lasted until 1955. In 1953, following the death of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...

, it was renamed Stalin Avenue (Aleja Stalina). Three years later the traditional name was restored again.

Ujazdów Avenue begins at the Belweder Street and runs for 1.6 km till the Three Crosses Square. It is surrounded by many notable historical buildings, villas and palaces. Notable landmarks include - office of the Prime Minister, Ujazdów Castle
Ujazdów Castle
Ujazdów Castle is a castle in the historic Ujazdów district, between Ujazdów Park and the Royal Baths Park , in Warsaw, Poland.-History:...

, Ujazdów Park, Royal Baths Park, Botanical Garden, Ministry of Justice, St. Alexander's Church
St. Alexander's Church
St. Alexander's Church is a Roman Catholic church on Plac Trzech Krzyży in Warsaw, Poland.-History:...

 and many embassies, including those of Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Bulgaria and Lithuania.

The avenue is used also for annual military parades on the Polish Army Day (15 August).
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