The Solidarity Avenue vicinity is the Warsaw's commercial and cultural center. If you are looking for peaceful walks, artists performing outdoors and narrow quaint streets the Old Town or New Town would be a better bet. However the vicinity of Solidarity Avenue can show you the tremendous growth and changes that Warsaw is undergoing after it got rid of communist system. It is not uncommon to see new buildings being erected, cranes moving and lots of people rushing. New modern buildings contrast with old ones built during communist times.

The vicinity of solidarity avenue in addition to modern buildings features palaces, churches and monasteries, monuments as well as historic parks and gardens. The most famous palaces worth seeing are Przebendowski-Radziwill (Czapski) Palace on Solidarnosci Ave as well as Krasinski Palace on Bonifaterska Street. Worth seeing are also Basilian Church on Miodowa Street, Jan Kilinski Monument on Podwale Street as well as Krasinkis Gardens around Swietojerska Street and Saxon Gardens around Krolewska Street.

After wandering the lanes of the Old Town, the area around Solidarity Avenue, (just west of the Castle) thrusts you into Warsaw at a dash. Throughout much of the nineteenth century this was the commercial and cultural hub of the city, and today many powerful firms and banks have set up shop here. There is a lot of modern development, but pre-war buildings were still being reconstructed here even in recent years. However, behind the facades of former noble palaces you are now more likely to find an international business firm than a moustachioed count enjoying his morning tea.

Senatorska street, which runs west from Castle Square, has some interesting buildings along the way. At its start you will find the elegant Borch Palace, which has been the seat of the Primate of Poland since 1843. The Cardinal remains a powerful figure in this resoundingly Catholic country.

The appropriately named Grand Theatre is another major building in the area that has been returned to its former glory. It was assiduously reconstructed after war-time damage. The square it stands on, Plac Teatralny, was the heart of fashionable Warsaw until 1939, boasting a panoply of shops and restaurants. It retains a commercial character but the emphasis has swung towards banking and big business.

On the other side of Plac Teatralny, continuing along Senatorska street, lies the so-called Blue Palace. The somewhat unprepossessing facade belies a rich history. Before the war it was owned by Count Jan Zamoyski (1912-2002), one of the last grandees of old Warsaw. A young pianist named Frederic Chopin played his first concert here in 1812.

At the end of Senatorska you will arrive at the now radically altered Plac Bankowy. The rebuilt Ratusz (Town Hall) still stands proudly amidst a number of new developments.

Away from the hubbub of the commercial district you can go for a stroll through the Krasinski and Saxon gardens. The two parks mirror each other on either side of Solidarnosci. During the eighteenth century the latter provided the setting for masked balls. These dances enchanted visitors from abroad. Unusually for Europe at that time, all ranks of society mingled at these occasions, which were a popular part of Warsaw life.

To the back of the Krasinski Palace you will find the garden the Krasinski Park. It has been redesigned several times. You can find find lots of benches and a small lake. The Krasinski Garden dates back to the end of the 17th century. It is situated at the back of the Krasinski Palace – the baroque palace regarded as one of the most beautiful residences in Warsaw. It has been open to the public since 1766. Before the Saski Garden was established, the Krasinski Garden used to be the largest garden in the city of Warsaw. It has been a national monument since 1965. The park boasts a wide variety of rare species of old trees. With its benches, flower carpets, a pond with ducks on and a playground for kids, the Krasinski Garden is a popular strolling destination for the Varsovians. The typical landmark is a monument dedicated to the Monte Casino Battle heroes.

Jan Kiliński (1760 in Trzemeszno - 28 January 1819 in Warsaw) was one of the commanders of the Kościuszko Uprising. A shoemaker by trade, he commanded the Warsaw Uprising of 1794, an uprising against the Russian garrison in Warsaw. He became a member of Polish provisional government as well.

Jan Kiliński was born in Trzemeszno, a minor town in the historical region of Greater Poland. In 1780 he settled in Warsaw, where he became a shoemaking master in 1788. One of the most prominent burghers of the time, he was elected member of the city council three times in a row between 1791 and 1793. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1794, Kiliński formed a unit of National Militia and lead his forces, along with the forces of the regular army, against the Russian occupation forces. On April 19 of that year, following the Russian withdrawal, he signed the Access of the city of Warsaw to the Kościuszko's Uprising and entered the Provisional Temporary Council, a temporary ruling body of the city.

The council was soon disbanded and passed its powers to Tadeusz Kościuszko, and Kiliński focused on strengthening his militias. His forces grew to over 20,000 men at arms and on June 28, 1794 were dispatched to the front to link up with the regular Polish Army. On July 2 of the same year Kościuszko promoted Kiliński to the rank of Colonel. After the failure of the uprising, Kiliński was arrested by the Prussian authorities and handed over to the Russians, who then imprisoned him in the Peter and Paul Fortress, in St. Petersburg. Upon his release in 1796, he lived in Vilna for a short time. However, he was yet again arrested for conspiracy against the tsarist authorities and forcibly resettled to Russia. Upon his return he settled in Warsaw, where he died January 28, 1819. Kiliński was buried in a crypt at the Powązki Cemetery Church. His memoirs were posthumously published in 1830 and 1899 (1st and 2nd volume, respectively).