Polish Spirit Rekindled in Indomitable Warsaw : Eastern European capital has survived centuries of tumult to rank among the continent’s great cities.

Few, if any, cities on Earth have had a more chaotic 10 centuries than this capital of 2 million fiercely independent souls. With its tumultuous and often tragic history, Warsaw’s city motto is most fitting: “To Defy Storms.”

And storms were neither few nor far between for Poland and its capital, since they lie in a huge and very rich land surrounded by ever-covetous Russia, Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Indeed, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Poles fought continuously for 55 years in marathon wars with Russia, Turkey and Sweden, always for their freedom.

Warsaw, despite the economic and infrastructure problems brought on by the latest half-century of war, occupation and Communist government, is now a far brighter and happier city, poised to soon take its place beside Vienna, Budapest, Prague and other great Central and Eastern European capitals.

The Austrian, Hungarian and Czech capitals, however, didn’t suffer anywhere near the war trauma of Warsaw, which saw 70% of its buildings systematically destroyed and 200,000 citizens killed by the Nazis after the Warsaw Uprising of August, 1944.

Today’s Warsaw has made a remarkable comeback. Its Old Town (Stare Miasto), built in the style of the 14th to 16th centuries, has been carefully reconstructed, and Old Market Square, once the center of the town’s social and economic life, is now awash in lively cafes, restaurants and shops.

Other changes more psychological in nature are helping Warsaw return to better times. Names of many streets, parks and plazas that were changed during the Communist regime to honor that ideology’s heroes have now been given new names or their old ones back. In one case, the name of Lenin’s wife has given way to that of the valiant Polish “home army” in the Warsaw Uprising; in another, a former Polish Communist Party leader has been defrocked by the name of Pope John Paul II, former cardinal of Krakow.

About the only major Communist monument that Warsaw seems stuck with is the 30-story, Stalin-Gothic ziggurat that rises grotesquely in the New Town (Nowe Miasto). This Palace of Culture and Science was a gift from the Soviet people. Some Warsaw locals say that the best view in town is from its top, because it’s the one place from which the “palace” can’t be seen.

There’s a certain aura or ambience shared by many of Europe’s most beautiful large cities, and Warsaw is no exception: broad and stately boulevards, chestnut trees, regal architecture and heroic monuments, fine museums and other cultural activities. Now add the glorious Gothic and Renaissance buildings of Warsaw’s Old Town in their lovely pastel colors, plus the entrepreneurial and indomitable spirit of Warsaw’s people, and what one gets is a handsome and vital city worthy of a two- or three-day addition to anyone’s Eastern European itinerary.

Getting settled in: Hotel Forum has an excellent location at the center of New Town and is modern in every respect, with all rooms air-conditioned, two restaurants, a lively bar and one of the best breakfast buffets in Poland. There are also a few shops, a kiosk and a wonderful 24-hour deli (just across a back street) for reasonably priced wines and many Polish specialties.

Right across the town’s main street from the Forum is the Metropol, a good value and location but short on frills and charm. Still, there’s a restaurant, TVs in the rather small bedrooms and a friendly, English-speaking desk staff. A pizzeria is just off the lobby.

Hotel Polonia, just around the corner from the Metropol, is one of Warsaw’s oldest, with the somewhat faded elegance of a 19th-Century palace. There’s a marvelous old staircase rising from the lobby, a regal dining room with parquet dance floor, plenty of gilt and classic columns that recall its better days, plus a small espresso bar off the lobby. Yet the small bedrooms and tiny baths are very utilitarian, so don’t expect too much at this price.

Regional food and drink: It’s always sensible to start a Polish meal with soup, since their soups and stews happen to be the best in Europe. We kept going back to zupa grzybowa (mushroom soup), unbelievably rich and loaded to the brim with gobs of wild mushrooms. Some versions of borscht and other clear soups are usually served with paszteciki , a small hot pastry stuffed with meat or vegetables.

Next to Poland’s beloved kielbasa sausage, the nearest thing to a national dish is bigos , a “hunter’s stew” made of sauerkraut; fresh cabbage; whatever meat, game or sausages are in the kitchen; onions, mushrooms and white wine. It’s delicious beyond description.

Like most denizens of Eastern Europe, Poles are great pork eaters, and a typical Warsaw dish is loin of pork stuffed with prunes and roasted until golden. And every dining room in Poland takes pride in its desserts--an endless variety of pastries, cakes and rich puddings.

Vodka is the national drink and is often flavored with fruit or herbs. Polish beer is excellent, but there’s no domestic wine. We found the Balkan reds very acceptable and inexpensive. Zywiec and Okocim Export are both fine Polish beers.

Good local dining: Gosciniec Opolski (ulica Pulawska 104) is noted for its typical Polish food and rustic countryside decor. This is a good place to order the popular pierogi , a clam-like dumpling with a variety of fillings (meat, cabbage, mushrooms, cheese) that is usually eaten first with a shot of vodka.

A rich and flavorful beef consomme with vegetables goes for 40 cents, and the Silesian roast beef with dumplings is $3.50. The menu includes many Polish staples (roast duck, goose, pork and game dishes) at comparable prices. There’s live music and dancing most evenings, plus occasional folk entertainment.

Restaurant Bazyliszek (Old Market Square) has plenty of atmosphere to go with its excellent food: beamed ceilings, fireplaces, armor and crossbows on the walls, and views of the square. A fixture since 1890, Bazyliszek’s extensive menu holds the likes of cold strawberry soup, cream of mushroom or borscht for $1.25, lamb kebabs ($7.50) or the house specialty of roast suckling pig for $14.50. Some locals consider this the town’s best restaurant, particularly for game.

Restaurant Swietoszek (ulica Jezuicka 6, just off Market Square) is a very elegant cellar place with vaulted ceilings and walls of old brick, and lovely place settings. It’s a hangout for writers and other Warsaw literary types.

Try starting with the Polish farmers’ soup that raises the potato to new heights ($1), then perhaps the pork Polish-style ($5.75) or fresh trout ($10). A bottle of good Bulgarian red wine goes for $6. Swietoszek’s menu is filled with all sorts of Polish delights.

Going first-class: England’s Forte Hotels (formerly Trust House-Forte) has spent two years refurbishing the fin de siecle Hotel Bristol to its prewar grandeur. Originally designed in art nouveau style in 1901, the new Bristol reopened in December, and now sports a swimming pool, fitness center, sauna, solarium and gym. There is also a Polish-French dining room, another dining room with Italian dishes and the Cafe Bristol for coffee and pastries. The Bristol is surely the brightest new star in Warsaw’s crown.

On your own: The best spot for beginning a walk through Old Town is Castle Square, with its 80-foot-tall column dedicated to the Polish king who in 1611 moved the capital from Krakow to Warsaw. The square’s Royal Castle, completely destroyed by the Germans and rebuilt in 1970-74, has 16th-Century Belgium tapestries, acres of rooms with gold leaf and gilt, and magnificent inlaid wooden floors. It shouldn’t be missed by anyone.

Old Town itself has its full quota of palaces and other handsome buildings, but the city’s most charming palace has to be the Lazienki Palace in the park of the same name. It sits on a small lake and was designed as a royal bath house, and later became the summer palace of Poland’s last king in the late 18th Century.

Another must is a visit to Wilanow Palace six miles south of Warsaw, a Baroque marvel built in the 17th Century and now noted for its marvelous grounds, galleries of Polish portraits and sculpture, and the largest collection of posters in the world. Wilanow also houses a branch of the National Museum and has a restaurant.

For a town where Frederic Chopin’s music was forbidden from 1939 until 1945, Warsaw has enough music today to satisfy anyone. It offers the renowned Warsaw Philharmonic, plus chamber music, opera, Chopin concerts and recitals at a number of locations. We even loaded up on fine tapes (Ella Fitzgerald, Chopin, Edith Piaf) at the overladen table of a street-market entrepreneur, all for a buck a copy.

GUIDEBOOK

Wandering in Warsaw

Getting there: Fly Lot Polish Airlines, Delta or Lufthansa, all with changes. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket will cost about $699-$750 until March 31, $899-$1,099 thereafter.

A few fast facts: Poland’s zloty recently sold for about 15,000 to the dollar, or .000066 each. Stick to bottled water, soft drinks or beer anywhere in Poland as the tap water can be awfully iffy stuff.

Where to stay: Hotel Forum (24 Nowogrodzka, telephone locally 210271; $92 double B&B; until March 31, $110 thereafter); Metropol (Marszalkowska 99, tel. 294001; $65 double B&B;); Polonia (Jerozolimskie 45, tel. 287241; $50 double B&B;); Bristol (Krakowskie Przedmiesie 42, tel. (800) 225-5843; $290 double).

For more information: Call Lot Polish Airlines at (213) 934-5151, or write (6100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles 90048) for a brochure on Warsaw, another on general information for touring Poland.