David Levene photographs Warsaw

A woman stands in the shadow of a monument in Warsaw's Zamkowy Square Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Construction continues on Poland's new national football stadium in Warsaw, on the site which used to host Europe's largest flea market Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

An man makes his way through Warsaw's old town
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Commuters and shoppers traverse Centrum Metro station in central Warsaw against the backdrop of the palace of culture Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Skaryszewski park, just north of the Vistula river
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

The serving hatch at the Pod Barbakanem Bar Mleczny in Warsaw Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A sculpture outside the palace of culture looks out on the high-rise blocks of Warsaw's financial district Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A man sells fox skins in Warsaw's old town Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A group of visiting Jews pray on the streets near the Nozyk Synagogue in the central Warsaw district of Osiedle Za Zelazna Brama (meaning Behind the Iron Gate).
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Pedestrians make their way across the Slasko Dabrowski bridge in Warsaw Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Old pre-war street furniture on a Warsaw street
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A man makes his way through the backstreets of Praga, one of Warsaw's most notorious areas Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A Russian immigrant woman walks her pet raccoon through the streets of Praga, northern Warsaw
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A public artwork on Prozna Street in Warsaw, which was a mainly Jewish area before the second world war. The photographs are of people that used to live in the buildings Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Agata Obiodne walks her dog through Warsaw's southernmost district of Ursynow, also known as a 'sleep town'
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Warsaw's old town was completely destroyed in the second world war. It was meticulously rebuilt after the war with many of the original bricks and decorative elements being reused. Its Unesco World Heritage status reflects an example of a near-total reconstruction of architecture from the 13th to the 20th century Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

One example of the many religious icons that can be found in residential courtyards throughout Warsaw's northern district of Praga
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

The Vistula river, which runs through Warsaw
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A fast food van plies its wares next to the palace of culture
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Children play table tennis against a backdrop of old blocks of flats in Praga, an area that houses many of the city's poorest residents Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Much of Warsaw's traffic still goes directly through the city centre, but it also has an extensive bus and tram network Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Diners in Rusalka bar mleczny, just outside the Old Town. A bar mleczny – literally milk bar – was a cafeteria created by Poland's communist regime in the mid-1960s to provide cheap meals for workers who had no company canteen Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A street performer creates huge bubbles in a square in the Old Town. During the second world war, the area was completely destroyed by the German army Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian