"#####Warsaw - capital of my lovely... " a Warsaw Travel Page by queensali

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17th centuary

WARSAW HISTORY

Warsaw is the capital of Poland situated in the very heart of the country. In 2001 Warsaw had 1,615,000 inhabitants.

In order to better understand Warsaw and Poland, one ought to go back and take look at its history. It is rich, fascinating, and often very tragic. For those of you who do not have the time to read lengthy history books I am including this shortened version of Warsaw's history.

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during Second War

Polish Independence and WWII:

In 1918 Poland regained her independence and Warsaw became the capital of the Second Republic of Poland. Between the wars a deliberate development of the city was undertaken. Already in 1939 the population of Warsaw had risen to over 1.3 million. When World War II broke out in 1939 the capital heroically defended itself until the 27th of September, 1939. During the five years of German occupation that followed the city's population lived in terror.

The Jewish citizens were forced to live in a walled-in ghetto. From there they were sent to the gas chambers of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and other death camps. When the Germans decided to clear the Warsaw ghetto in the spring of 1943 the Jews resisted the Germans in an armed battle rather than to give up without a fight. In an unequal battle than ensued thousands of Jewish fighters and civilians were brutally wiped out. Picture right: The Warsaw Ghetto Burns. Intellectuals were also persecuted. Virtually everyone was in constant danger of getting arrested in a round up and getting sent to work or to a concentration camp.
On the 1st of August, 1944 the Warsaw Uprising broke out. From the beginning the fighters of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) were doomed, because of lack of help from the outside. After 63 days of heroic resistance the Warsaw uprising was brutally suppressed. This was the largest act of rebellion in Nazi occupied Europe and contributed to a quicker end of the war. However the human costs were incredible. Over 200,000 Poles, soldiers and civilians alike perished. After the suppression of the uprising all inhabitants were expelled from the city and the Nazis systematically burned and blew up the remaining buildings of the capital. In August, 1944 Warsaw was no more.

The Aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. The Old Town lays in ruins. The statue of King Zygmunt after the column with his statue was blown up following the Warsaw Uprising.
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at present time

Warsaw from 1945 to today:

Warsaw was finally liberated on the 17th of January, 1945, altogether 800,000 of its inhabitants had perished during the war. The survivors came back to their city almost immediately and started to rebuild it. Warsaw again became the capital of Poland. But once more its fate was really determined by Moscow, a fact symbolized by the Palace of Culture (originally named in honor of Joseph Stalin) towering over the city center since 1955. In 1981 the communist rulers had to rely on the army to defend their power against the Solidarity movement of Lech Walesa, announcing martial law on 13th of December. With the crumbling economy and the transformations going on in the Soviet Union, the communists finally had to allow free elections in 1989. These ended in a complete defeat for the Communist Party.

The new government right away began extensive democratic and economic reforms, and for Warsaw a great economic boom began. Today, with 1.6 million inhabitants, Warsaw is trying to catch up with the western capitals. Despite many problems, the city is growing. Every year the face of the city changes in a dramatic and surprising way. The city has also opened up to tourists whom it hopes to attract in large numbers. Most importantly the city is again free after decades of foreign rule and influence.