The Warsaw Uprising Museum
The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 lasted for 63 days. It failed. More Poles died in the Uprising than the Japanese in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima put together. But, even though civilians bore the brunt of the killing, more than 40,000 men, women, and children murdered in just two days, that attempt to break free is still honored every year on August 1 at 5 p.m when sirens are heard all around the country to mark the time and day of the beginning of the Uprising.
Because the Poles fought back, Warsaw was systematically destroyed. Hitler was vindictive. The Soviets, who had waited patiently while the city and its citizens were obliterated, came next. The Polish impetus to fight was the presence of the Red Army standing on the shores of the Vistula River. They fought to not be “liberated” by the Soviets. They fought to meet the Soviets as a free and independent nation.
It’s in Our DNA
What the Polish people did not expect was that their allies would do nothing to help them in their greatest hour of need. Furthermore, Western allies led by Winston Churchill agreed to condemn central Europe to the Soviet police state. The Iron Curtain came down on Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and East Germany for the next forty-five years. To this day, Churchill’s name is mud in central Europe.
Poles lived through communist oppression for decades always with the knowledge that they had fought the good fight and this inspired them. One of the legacies of the Warsaw Uprising is the Solidarity Movement. People will always find a way to be free no matter how absolute the tyrant is. It’s in our DNA.
Kid-Friendly
At the entrance to the museum, there is a room for children because some of the photographs in the museum are graphic and the general theme is war. There is an English-speaking staff to watch the children while you tour the museum. Kids can learn about the uprising through crafts. For example, there is a project that teaches children what the Polish symbol of freedom is and how to make or draw it. The Warsaw Uprising was never taught in schools during the Soviet occupation.
The Symbol to Fight
“Let it be seen by those who have never heard of the Warsaw Uprising.” Like Maureen’s 6th-grade history teacher.
Creator of the Symbol
Anna Smolenska won the contest for the best symbol. There were 27 entries. It is a P, for Polska or Poland and a W for the Polish word for fighting. The symbol means Poland fighting. She died in Auschwitz along with her mother, sister, father, and sister-in-law. She was 23. Her brother was the only one who survived the war.
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