The location of Saska Kępa on the east bank of the Vistula, allowed the district to escape the systematic destruction inflicted during and after the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.It has historically housed many foreign embassies and consulates, nestled among streets that were named in the 1920s after continents, nations, and major world cities.The "front door" to the district is Rondo Waszyngtona, a roundabout named after George Washington, which links the suburb via the Poniatowski Bridge to the Warsaw city centre by road and tram.Several controversial apartment complexes have sprung up within Saska Kępa, but no further major construction projects are being considered for fear they would damage the unique character of the area.Many of the older homes in Saska Kępa were remodelled in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but most were restored in a manner consistent with the pre-World War II character of the district.