Warsaw Rising

My first impressions were formed in the huge, bustling central train station. It was busier and more confusing than anything I can remember. It was a real battle even to find an exit, which incorporated a route through the encircling ultra modern shopping mall.

Just across from the station is 'Uncle Joe's' gift to the Polish nation or should I say Polish branch of the USSR. The gargantuan Palace of Science and Culture, built by the Soviet rulers for the people of Warsaw, dwarfs the other buildings around it. I found it rather striking and it's huge clock-tower provides a useful reference point throughout the city, but it is almost universally hated by the local people who cannot forget the circumstances in which it was 'given'.

The city itself is at once, flashy with the evidence of a lot of investment in the last twenty years and dull with streets upon streets of grey apartment blocks
from Soviet times. Although architecturally unsightly these structures still house thousands of Warsovians which i guess means they are fit for purpose.

Naturally the most significant event in Warsaw history came during WWII. Something like 20% of the city's population was Jewish and thousands of Jews and Poles were sent to concentration camps or worse during German occupation.
One of the prouder periods of resistance to the Nazi juggernaut occurred here in 1944 in the so-called Warsaw uprising. The uprising was a time of great heroism in Poland and up to 200,000 soldiers and civilians died during this time, most of these civilians the victims of murderous war crimes by the German military.

After five years of occupation the Polish Home army battled to liberate the city from the axis powers as part of a larger struggle across the country.
For a period of two months they were able to liberate parts of the city and hold these through the use of barricades, anti tank obstacles and what weaponry they could lay their hands on. Although woefully under equipped the Home army with the support of the populace held off the occupiers until a shortage of food and water forced their surrender.

The Warsaw Uprising Museum goes into great detail to document the politics, events and individual stories during this time and it is an essential for any visitor.
Some interesting facts: Underground tunnels in the sewerage system were used as a means of communication in the city. Teenagers often from the scout movements became crucial part of the resistance, running messages through very dangerous channels. Those with first aid training became nurses and medics, often in harms way they were cynically targeted by the Nazi soldiers. Many massacres are documented, mistreatment of prisoners of war by the Germans, as well as the humane treatment the Poles supposedly gave their prisoners in an effort to give them a reminder of humanity.

There is a lot of bitterness amongst Polish historians because of a lack of Allied support during this time.
The British and Americans organised airdrops of supplies and weapons which created a vital lifeline for the besieged Warsovians but they would not send troops due to the obstructionist actions of the Soviets. Soviet troops were within ten kilometers of the city when the fighting began but did not come to the aid of the desperate Poles, hardly actions that befit their assumed role as Eastern Europe's saviour. Historically this betrayal is controversial but in hindsight it was clearly in the interests of Stalin for the Pole's resistance to be weakened when they finally did drive the Germans out. Especially when you consider what happened post-war.

After the conflict the entire civilian population were expelled from the city. Many sent to concentration or extermination camps. The home army soldiers disarmed and sent to POW camps. The Germans then systematically destroyed the city using explosives and flamethrowers, 'leaving no stone standing' as Himmler put it. They destroyed an estimated 10000 buildings, including any cultural or historical significance to the Polish populace.

The old town has been rebuilt post-war, but not in it's full glory until recent times. The royal palace is a good example of this. At best that's because the Soviet government felt that was an unnecessary expense, at worst it was a reminder of a Polish nation didn't fit in with attempts to eradicate a national culture.
The history of the conflict is indelibly marked on Warsaw but the city has risen and the old town is undoubtedly as vibrant as ever. I think when you experience the care taken to restore these buildings piece by piece you get a feeling of how important they are to the national physche and what a proud people the Poles are.
It doesn't matter that the buildings are truly only 20th century constructions, in fact I think it increases their appeal.