(Polish Warszawa, Germ. Warschau, Fr. Varsovie), the capital, formerly of Poland, and now of the Russian province of Warsaw, on an eminence gradually rising from the left bank of the Vistula, N. Lat. 52. 14., E. Long. 21. 2. The view of the city, as approached from St Petersburg, is very fine; a series of splendid buildings, rising one above another all along the sides of the hill, with the immense imperial palace in the centre, excelling in height and extent all the adjacent edifices. It is defended by ramparts and a fosse; and to the north, close upon the Vistula, is a citadel which commands the whole of the town. The entire circuit is about ten miles; but the large area thus enclosed is to some extent occupied with gardens and open ground, and includes several suburbs, besides the city proper, consisting of an old and a new town. In the older portions the streets are narrow, irregular, and ill-paved, and the houses for the most part meanly built, in many cases only of wood; but in the more modern parts, many of the streets are broad, and lined with handsome houses; so that on the whole Warsaw may be considered one of the finest cities in Europe. Besides about one hundred private palaces belonging to the Polish nobility, there are several of a public character. Among the latter, the Zamok, as it is called, which was formerly the residence of the Polish monarchs, is conspicuous for its immense size. It contains the national archives of Poland, and the hall where the diet used to meet; but the valuable library and splendid collection of paintings, formerly here, have been removed to St Petersburg. The Saxon palace, in which the Saxon kings resided, stands in one of the principal squares, and has large and beautiful gardens behind it. The government palace, formerly that of the Krasinski family, is a beautiful modern building in the Italian style, and contains the government offices and superior courts of law. The palace of Casimir, which is adorned with a statue of Copernicus, was formerly occupied by the university, which was suppressed in 1834. Another fine edifice is the Marsenville bazaar, built after the model of the Palais Royal at Paris, and containing the exchange, custom-house, post-office, mint, arsenal, and barracks, besides several ranges of shops. Many of the churches of Warsaw, of which there are in all twenty-nine, are very fine. The principal is the Roman Catholic cathedral of St John, a fine Gothic edifice, founded in 1260. The church of the Capuchins contains a black marble monument to John Sobieski, erected by the Emperor Nicholas in 1829. The Dominican church and that of the Holy Cross are also handsome; and the Lutheran church is a stately building, surmounted by the loftiest tower in Warsaw. In the squares of the city there are many statues, the most remarkable of which are the colossal one of Sigismund III., and the equestrian figures of Poniatowski, one of the finest works of Thorwaldsen. The city has fourteen monasteries and four nunneries, several charitable establishments, three theatres, two colleges, a theological seminary, gymnasiaums, elementary schools, public libraries, and literary associations. It is the principal seat both of the manufactures and trade of Poland.

The manufactures are many and various, including those of tobacco, leather, saddlery, coaches, musical instruments, cloth, hats, hosiery, gold and silver wares, &c. Much-frequented fairs are held here twice a year, lasting each time for three weeks; and the trade is very extensive, being facilitated not only by the navigable river Vistula, which connects the city with Cracow on the one hand and Danzig on the other, but also by the railways, which form a rapid means of communication with St Petersburg and Vienna. The Vistula is here crossed by a bridge, which leads to the suburb of Praga on the other side. To the south of the town, but inside the fortifications, are the imperial country-seats of Belvedere and Lazienki, the latter of which was occupied for a time by Louis XVIII. of France during his exile. Further off is the castle of Wilanow, the favourite retreat of John Sobieski, containing his private apartments just as he left them. North of the city is Bielany, a fine park with a fashionable promenade. Warsaw is the seat of the general Viceroy of Poland, and of the Archbishop of Warsaw, who is primate of Poland. The principal events in the history of the city being intimately connected with that of the state of which it was the capital, are narrated in the article POLAND. Pop. (1857) 158,120, of whom upwards of 40,000 were Jews.