In the Mazovia region it is not so easy to find a place where these three features are combined. Beyond doubt, the town of Warka, as well as its surroundings, is such an exceptional spot and it really deserves to be called the gem of Mazovia. Warka is one of the oldest towns in Mazovia. In the act of 1321 it was granted a town charter by Trojden, Duke of Czersk and Mazovia. Over the following years Warka experienced rapid development, winning renown as the city of craft, drapery, shoemaking and of course brewing. From the very beginning, beer brewed in Warka enjoyed huge popularity, which is confirmed by a funny anecdote.

When he returned to Rome, he was taken seriously ill. While lying on his bed of pain, he kept whispering “... sancta piva di Polonia... sancta biera di Warka...”. The clergymen gathered at his bed thought the nuncio was calling the unknown saint, and so they started praying: “Sancta Piva ora pro nobis” [St. Piva pray for us]. Hearing these prayers, the sick nuncio burst out laughing. As a result, the ulcer that he was suffering from burst and the nuncio recovered.
(The source of information: Wikipedia).

In commemoration of this victorious battle, the market square in Warka was named after him.
It was in Warka that General Casimir Pulaski, described as the hero of two nations: Polish and American, spent his childhood. Nowadays, in the seventeenth-century manor house in Winiary district in Warka there is the Casimir Pulaski Museum.
This is not the end of the list of the national heroes of Poland whose fate is connected with Warka. In 1797 Piotr Wysocki, the initiatior of the November Uprising, was born here and here he died in 1875. His grave is to be found at the local old cemetery. Near the city centre there is a plaque commemorating the place where the house of Wysocki used to stand (he lived there after his return from exile). On the sqaure in front of “Dworek na Długiej” (Manor House in Długa Street), the community culture centre, there is a monument to Piotr Wysocki.
Throughout the years, Warka was afflicted by numerous wars, fires and natural disasters. It experienced crisis and prosperity periods alternately. Luckily, it managed to survive until today and it is still developing rapidly. Historical monuments from various periods, still remaining in perfect condition, help to shape historical and cultural identity of the inhabitants of Warka and are great tourist attractions for the visitors.

The whole Warka area is extremely valuable in terms of the natural environment. It is the natural habitat for 17 mammal species and 144 bird species (two of which are mentioned in the Polish Red Book of Animals – sieweczka obrożna and rybitwa białoczelna ). It is also an area of scenic beauty: old river beds, wild beaches, mixed forests, meadows sprinkled with flowers, apple and cherry orchards blooming in spring, mansion parks with an air of mystery and sentimentality – all these are to be found here. A considerable part of the area was designated as Natura 2000 sites (an ecological network of protected areas in the European Union), and the most treasured parts in the Pilica Valley are additionally protected due to the local authorities’ decision.
Such an extraordinary location of Warka district makes the town and its surroundings an ideal recreation area, perfect for short weekend outings as well as for longer holidays. Numerous tourist trails run through the whole Warka district. In 2008 a kayaking route down the Pilica River was mapped out from Domaniewice to Mniszew, and Warka is a very attractive stop along the way. Every year a wide variety of activities is prepared by Centrum Sportu i Rekreacji (the Sports and Recreaction Centre in Warka), which offers active leisure in a well-equipped sports hall, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym, a shooting range etc.
On the other side of the Pilica river there is a delightfully situated multifunctional complex called Sielanka Farm. It consists of Sielanka nad Pilicą Hotel with a conference centre, but it is most famous for its modern equestrian sports centre, one of the best horse-riding centres in Poland. Several times it has played host to prestigious national and international contests. In 2007 Sielanka Farm held the Driving World Championships.

The service and production sectors, other important branches of the local economy, are clustered in the town. The biggest production plant is Warka Brewery (a merger with Grupa Żywiec S.A. took place in 2004), but the chief branch of industry is fruit processing as every year in the region the crops of fruit, mainly apples, cherries and strawberries, are rich and abundant.
Recently, some areas in the vicinity of the railway station have been incorporated into the town. Considered as perfect for investments, they are more than likely to seduce new investors and, in this way, to act as a spur to futher development of Warka.
Among the active inhabitants of the region of Warka there are not only fruit-growers running modern farms, numerous entrepreneurs and small businessmen, but also over 20 non-governmental organizations (associations, clubs, unions and other groups), acting in the field of sport, culture, local development, historical and cultural heritage, tourism, assistance and cooperation with the disabled. At the beginning of 2009 Warka Local Action Group was officially registered. In the region it is the first formal partnership of public and private representatives from different socio-economic sectors, namely businessmen, local administration and NGOs.

Local authorities do their best to modernize the town and its surroundings systematically and to keep there law and order. It is all aimed at making Warka not only one of the oldest towns in Mazovia, but also one of the most beautiful, pleasant and friendly ones, for the sake of its inhabitants as well as tourists. The market square has been thoroughly redeveloped and restored to its original form, with small architectural features and a favourable traffic solution. In this way, a former function of the market square as a place of concentration of cultural life and relaxation has been restored. The neoclassical town hall of 1821, the elevations of old tenement houses surrounding the market square and the watchtower of Ochotnicza Straż Pożarna (the Voluntary Fire Brigade), with a newly added clock tower, have also been renovated. Every day at high noon the tune of Tango Warka, considered by many dwellers as the Warka’s anthem, resounds through the town from the OSP clock tower (the music as well as the lyrics of the song were written by Witold Grzelewski).
Thanks to subsidies from the European Union, the old manor house in Długa Street has been restored to its glory. At present, it is the seat of the community culture centre called “Dworek na Długiej” (Manor House in Długa Street), which together with its yard is a place of cultural and social events as well as a meeting point for the town dwellers and a place of pleasant relaxation for passers-by. Thanks to EU funds, the elevation of Junior High School in Warka, located in the pre-war buildings in Warszawska Street, has also been renovated and its new, aesthetic appearance gladdens the eyes.
Environmental protection plays also a very important role in the action taken by local authorities. New sewage systems, water supply systems and treating water points are constantly built and the old ones are systematically modernized. Out of concern for better communications and transport, country roads in the region and the town streets are mended and redeveloped on a regular basis.
In Warka there are to be found beautiful old churches, countless chapels and roadside shrines, an old cemetery with the resting place of the hero of the November Uprising, Piotr Wysocki, and a must-see for every tourist – the Casimir Pulaski Museum in Winiary district. All these make the region of Warka a pleasant place to live for the inhabitants and a very attractive holiday destination for the tourists and visitors, perfect for longer stays as well as for short weekend outings.