The European city overlooked by Australian tourists - have you been?

It was spite that destroyed it and pride that restored it. Like a lesson in humanity, it was the stronger and purer emotion that came to define the legacy of Warsaw's Old Town.

Looking at the historic centre of the Polish capital city today, it's actually hard to believe that this vast area with thousands of beautiful buildings is just decades - rather than centuries - old. Because as I walk across the cobblestones of the main square, into the streets with their medieval layout and Renaissance and Baroque facades, it feels like the layers of heritage you expect from a European capital.

But all of this has been rebuilt by modern architects. Everything is meticulously recreated to look exactly how it once did... before evil struck.

To understand the story of Warsaw's Old Town, we need to go back to the start of World War II, when the historic centre was still a marvellous collection of original buildings, including brightly coloured merchant houses, a soaring cathedral, and historic barbican walls.

Warsaw was quickly caught in WWII's destructive path, with the Old Town badly damaged in 1939, although many residents stayed and patched up buildings. The real blow came five years later. In August 1944, the Polish resistance took up the fight against the Nazi occupiers, inflicting serious damage to the Germans and killing thousands of them.

Hitler wanted revenge. So to punish the Poles, he decided to destroy Warsaw. In a deliberate and coordinated operation, Nazis went through the Old Town, stealing anything of value, burning buildings with flamethrowers, and exploding monuments. Of course, lots of cities were damaged or destroyed during World War II but this was different. The Germans brought in engineers who specialised in demolition. This wasn't just war, this was downright malevolence.

When WWII came to an end, the people of Warsaw (and Poland more generally) were faced with a decision. What to do about the Old Town? There was little debate. They quickly decided to rebuild - but unlike many European cities facing the same issue, they didn't opt for reconstructions with the architecture of the day. Instead, they chose to make it look exactly like it once did, even down to the windows and the colours.

This was about more than merely a physical city. The Nazis had been trying to wipe out Polish culture and heritage, so recreating these historic buildings was a symbol that they had not been damaged. Using photos and paintings, historical records, and even just memories, the whole city contributed their knowledge to the massive project. Ordinary citizens even helped to clean away rubble. The old streets came back to life just like they used to be, filled with pride.

It means you can stand there and look up at the pink and cream facade of the Church of Our Lady of Grace, with its tall Corinthian pilasters, just like people have since it was built in the early 1600s. Next door, the iconic St John's Archcathedral that's been the scene for coronations and royal weddings is one of the exceptions to the perfect recreations because it was rebuilt with its Gothic red-brick appearance from centuries ago.

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But the most impressive example of this project - and the very last piece to be completed in 1984 - is the Royal Castle, once the residence of Polish monarchs. Inside the enormous complex, many of the rooms have original items that were rescued before the destruction, such as paintings in the Royal Apartments, while the Houses of Parliament, where Europe's first modern constitution was written, also look the same. Most rooms are now a museum, designed to showcase Polish heritage... much like the whole Old Town, you could say.

Of course, time has not stood still in Warsaw. Visit today and I think you'll be impressed with the unashamedly modern additions beyond the medieval walls of the historic centre. There are the views from the observation decks in the futuristic 330-metre-high Varso Tower, which opened in 2022. Within the city's second-tallest building - an Art Deco tower called the Palace of Culture and Science - there's a museum dedicated to Cold War-era neon signs. And even some of the older industrial sites have been converted into vibrant entertainment precincts, like the Norblin Factory with a cinema and food hall behind its contemporary glass walls.

On one side of the square is the new building for Warsaw's Museum of Modern Art. Large, white, sleek and angular, you only have to glance at it to know this is a monument aimed at the future. Yet go inside, walk through the galleries, and you'll come across a few 'city rooms', the name given to wooden panelled spaces with panoramic windows. They're designed as respites from the art and a chance to reconnect with the urban landscape. They allow you to look at the city from a different perspective, framing the past from within the present.

However you look at Warsaw, you can see it's a city of pride, even if there is sometimes devastation in its foundations. I feel like Poland is often unfairly overlooked by Australian tourists, and those who do visit often only pop into the famously charming centre of Krakow. But give Warsaw a chance sometime and you may see why it's been worth building and rebuilding for all these years.