From the end of the 18th century to the mid-19th, Warsaw Solidarity Avenue and Plac Teatralny was Warsaw's commercial center. The grand Neo-Classical buildings of the area, with their impressive colonnades, are from the 1820's. These include the Grand Theater (Teatr Wielki), which is one of the largest buildings in Europe.

The area also features several large parks. The Krasinski Gardens (adjoining the magnificent Krasinski Palace) were first laid out in the late 17th century. The Saxon Gardens (Ogród Saski), in a Baroque style design are part of a town planning scheme known as the Saxon Axis.

The Saxon Gardens are all that remain of the former Royal Park, which encircled the house of the Saxon King August II Mocny in the 18th century. A 19th century colonnade divided the Saxon Gardens from Pilsudski Square, where official State functions take place. This is also where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, featuring a guard of honor and an eternal flame, emerged in 1925.