How Did Warsaw Become the Capital of Poland?

Warsaw is now the capital of the Republic of Poland, but it hasn’t always been this way. For many centuries the capital of Poland was Kraków (which Cracovians still love bringing up to this day). So what happened that made the capital move more than 300 kilometers north? As with nearly everything in Polish history, it’s complicated (and fascinating!)

Frans Hogenberg: View of Warsaw. Source: Muzeum Pragi

In the 16th century, Warsaw was just another city. Although it was the largest in the region of Mazovia, compared to other Polish cities, it wasn’t remarkable in any way. It thrived on trade, primarily along the Vistula River, but was a relatively small, mostly wooden city. Interestingly enough, Warsaw would have probably continued to grow as just another city, if not for the thing that real estate specialists know can make or break a place– location, location, location. This is where Kraków unwillingly lent a hand.

Kraków had been the capital for more than 500 years and it was situated along lucrative trading routes within Poland and relatively close to other major Polish cities, making it a good spot for a capital. But in 1569, the two kingdoms of Poland and Lithuanian united to create the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at that time. Suddenly Kraków found itself on the far edge of a vast region; it was 55 kilometers away from the western border of the Commonwealth, but around 1200 km away from the eastern border!

By User: Mathiasrex, based on layers of User:Halibutt - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5877938

Messages travelling to and from the capital could take up to two weeks to get across the Commonwealth which made the spread of news and orders a long process. Yet there was something even more complex that began to change the Polish political landscape–sessions of the Sejm. The Sejm (the beginnings of the modern, democratic parliament Poland has today) was made up of nobles who would gather and debate, discuss, and vote on laws that the king or they themselves suggested. Sessions of the Sejm were also called when it was time to vote for a new king (Polish kings were elected by noblemen from the end of the 16th century to the end of the 18th century). All this meant travel from all over the kingdom to one place and Lithuanian delegates weren't exactly happy with the prospect of travelling more than 1000 km. Something needed to change.

Of all the cities that were developed and large enough to be able to even imagine being able to absorb the royal court and all of the representatives of the Sejm, Warsaw caught the eye of the king. It was located next to the Vistula River, it was at the intersection of busy trading routes, and it was fairly central. So it was decided that the joint Polish-Lithuanian sessions of the Sejm would be held in Warsaw.

In 1596, the king, Zygmunt III, made his decision to move the royal residence from Wawel Castle in Kraków to the castle in Warsaw. But that didn’t mean Warsaw became the capital overnight. The city had to wait until 1611 for the king to actually physically move to Warsaw with his entire retinue and court to the newly expanded Royal Castle. From 1611, Warsaw formally functioned as the royal residence of the king. Interestingly enough, this move didn’t degrade Krakow’s importance completely and despite the king and his court residing in Warsaw, royal coronations and burials, for the most part, continued to be held in Kraków.

Despite functioning as the capital of Poland in practice, Warsaw still had to wait to be given the formal title of capital of the nation. This turned out to be a long wait since between 1795-1918, Poland ceased to formally exist (it was torn into three pieces during the three partitions by its neighbors Prussia, Russia, and Austria), and Warsaw constantly switched hands, being first under Prussian rule, then French, then Russian.

Source: "Odzyskana stołeczność. Warszawa 1915-1918"

Regained independence in 1918 meant that Poland needed to sew itself back together and, above all, a new country needs a new capital. Or, in this case, an old new capital. That same year, Warsaw was named Poland’s capital. Yet it would take another 36 years before Warsaw was given the formal title of capital of Poland in 1952, written into the constitution of the Polish People’s Republic and later repeated in the constitution of today’s Third Republic of Poland.

If you want to learn more about how Warsaw developed throughout the centuries, sign up for our Historical Heart of Warsaw walking tour!