The city became the capital of Poland at the end of the 16th century, succeeding Cracow. Warsaw developed on the left bank of the Vistula, where the absence of marshes gave an easy crossing. Between the two world wars, the city became the commercial and intellectual centre of modern Poland.
Warsaw fell to the Germans in 1939. Uprisings — first by Jews, who had been enclosed in a ghetto, and later by other Poles — resulted in the virtual destruction of Warsaw during the war. Industries include the manufacture of foodstuffs, motor-cars and steel.
The "phoenix city" is also an another name of Warsaw, because it has been almost completely flat after World War II, but rebuilt with the heroic efforts. Warsaw, also has given its name to the Warsaw Pact.