Can you imagine a place that was once a village on the banks of the Vistula river? It wasn’t always part of the city you see all around you today.
This is Kępa Tarchomińska, a small neighborhood in Warsaw, tucked away in the north-east side of the city. While it might seem like any other part of the city now, Kępa Tarchomińska has a history that stretches back to the early 20th century, when it was a small village just outside the city limits.
This was a time when the world was a very different place. It wasn’t until 1977 that Kępa Tarchomińska was officially incorporated into the city of Warsaw. You can still see the remnants of this past in the traditional wooden houses that line the streets.
There are still traces of its earlier history, though. There are ruins of a cemetery for German settlers who lived in the area in the 19th century. This is something you might not notice right away. But if you look closely, you can still see the old tombstones, and imagine the lives of the people who lived there before.
So next time you are in Białołęka, a district of Warsaw, take a moment to step off the beaten path and explore Kępa Tarchomińska. It might be a small neighborhood, but it has a big history.