The Old Town, the historical heart of the city, was nearly leveled by the Nazis. The entire quarter was faithfully reconstructed after World War II. A walking tour should include the Royal Palace on Plac Zamkowy, Rynek Starego Miasto (Old Town Square) with the Kamienne Schodki (a cascading street of stone steps), St. John's Cathedral, the Barbakan (once part of the city's defenses), the Monument to the Little Insurgent and St. Kazimierz Church.
