Culture

The 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising

The event will take place on the 29th of August, at the Polish Institute in Berlin and musically framed with melodies from the uprising.

August 12th, 2019
Margareta Calugher, News from Berlin
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On this occasion, Zofia Romaszewska, daughter of insurgents experienced the horrors of rebellion as a five-year-old child will discuss with the British historian Dr. Joanna Hanson, author of the book "Superhuman Subjects" on the massacre of civilians in insurgent Warsaw.

Zofia Romaszewska (born 1940 in Warsaw) was a representative of the democratic opposition in the People's Republic of Poland and is a human rights activist. Her husband Zbigniew Romaszewski was co-founder of the Committee for the Defense of Workers (KOR), which is one of the main opposition organizations in communist Poland.

Dr. Joanna Hanson (born in 1951 in the UK) graduated from the University of York with a doctorate in history, specialized in Central and Eastern Europe. From 1971-73 she was associated with the Faculty of History of the University of Warsaw and the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Her research from that period dealt with the fate of the civilian population during the Warsaw Uprising.

The Warsaw Uprising, which broke out on August 1, 1944, was an armed uprising against the German Nazi army that occupied Warsaw. The uprising was organized by the Home Army, which was the underground army of the Polish Underground State operating during the Second World War. It was the largest armed resistance movement against the National Socialist German occupiers throughout Europe.

During the two-month fighting, the losses of the Polish troops amounted to about 16,000 dead, 20,000 wounded and 15,000 prisoners. In addition, bombing, artillery fire, severe living conditions and above all a massacre on the part of the Wehrmacht killed nearly 200,000 civilians. As a result of the fighting of the insurgents and the systematic demolition of the city, the districts west of the Vistula were almost completely destroyed. After 63 days of fighting, on October 3, 1944, the insurgent army surrendered.

The Warsaw Uprising is considered one of the most important and tragic events in the recent history of Poland. Due to the enormous loss of life and material goods, the question of the legitimacy of the decision to start the fight is discussed again and again.

Organizer: Polish Institute Berlin
Starting time: 19.00
Admission free
Address: Polish Institute, Burgstraße 27, 10178 Berlin

References:

News from Berlin