Having survived the long car journey from Wroclaw and getting a good night's sleep, we woke up ready for a nice day of sightseeing....
Mother Nature had other ideas. RAIN!!!
What to do? Well, we weren't going to let some rain keep us from seeing Warsaw...I had grabbed the In Your Pocket guidebook (which, btw, when you travel, look for these- they are great free guides to cities all over Europe, chock full of info) and saw that there was a Warsaw Uprising Museum and a hop-on, hop-off bus tour that would eventually make it's way to the museum. The plan was to take the tour (staying dry on the bus), see the Museum, and finish the bus tour back to the hotel.
Off we went....as it turned out, a stop was right outside of our hotel. And we happened to be pretty much right in the middle of the old Jewish area of Warsaw. The bus took us through the old Jewish quarter...we passed the Umschlagplatz, where approx. 300,000 Jews were loaded on cattle wagons on their way to Treblinka. We passed Mila 18, a small grassy area where the Ghetto Uprising was launched. We saw the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which we did not go in because it is so new it wasn't officially open yet. Outside, we saw the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, which is comprised of stone that was originally ordered by Hitler for a victory arch. We passed the Jewish Cemetery and the Catholic Cemetery. Finally, we ended up at the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
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| Entrance to the Warsaw Uprising Museum |
I canNOT recommend this museum enough!! It is absolutely fantastic. It was opened in 2004 in an old tram power station. The displays cover 3 floors and follow a chronological path from the early days of Nazi occupation to the Uprising through to the horrible aftermath. It is very interactive and bilingual (which was quite refreshing). If you ever find yourself in Warsaw (um, at some point in your life, you SHOULD find yourself in Warsaw), this is an absolute MUST SEE.
...oh look out, the history teacher is coming out....
A brief history of the Warsaw Uprising-
A lot of people may have heard about the Jewish Ghetto Uprising that took place in Warsaw during April/ May 1943. There have been quite a few movies about the heroic actions of the Jewish Resistance during this uprising. I, myself, was familiar. BUT I was not really familiar with the larger Warsaw Uprising that took place after the Jewish Ghetto was leveled.
After suffering under Nazi occupation for five years, the citizens of Warsaw had had enough. With the Polish government-in-exile's and promised Allied support, the Home Army (the Armii Krajowy) launched an offensive to liberate the city. On August 1, 1944, the offensive began. With the Red Army sitting just on the other side of the Wisla River and pretty much no Allied support, the small army managed to hold off the Nazis for 63 days. Quite impressive...and quite sad. If you consider that if the Red Army had crossed the river or the Allies had followed through on their promises of support, the story could have been different and around 200,000 civilians would have still been alive. Heroics were rampant through the siege. Men, women and children all did their part to help thwart the enemy. Official Army units included 4,000 women, a unit of Slovaks, Jews saved from a concentration camp, and a unit of deaf and dumb soldiers. The extent that the Home Army went to succeed is astonishing.
Needless to say, the Nazi answer to such belligerence was swift and merciless. Hitler had wanted Warsaw to disappear before the Uprising. Now, he had an excuse for the systematic destruction of a city. Buildings of Polish cultural importance were blown up, others burned down. Citizens were exiled. Nothing was left to stand. Even General Eisenhower was stunned to see such destruction. He was quoted as saying, "I have seen many towns destroyed, but nowhere have I been faced with such destruction". (IYP, pg. 94)
After the war, the horror did not end. Beside a whole generation of Poles lost, the communists saw the Uprising as backed by Western entities and driven by the government-in-exile. Thus, 13 leaders of the Uprising were put on trial and convicted of anti-communist sympathies. Absolutely mind boggling!
The Museum is quite thorough and engaging. You really get a feel for the lives of those put in such inhumane conditions. It is VERY thorough. If you plan to go, make sure to set aside almost the whole day. And know that there is a cafe, but it is very small and really only serves cakes and coffee.
I will be taking my MUN club to Warsaw in October for an international conference and I am making sure we have an extra day to go. It is so important for students to see and experience history in this way. It is important for ALL of us. A lot of people ask me why I like to see places like the Umschlagplatz, Auschwitz, etc. And my answer is this- as a human being, it is my duty to bear witness to this history. It is my duty to learn as much as I can about the past and share that with others. Is it the most feel good, cheery touristy thing to do? No. BUT within the tragedies and sadness, you find heroes and faith and hope and love. And within that it is an uplifting spirit of humanity.
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| No photos allowed, but I needed to snap this |
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| This plaque really moved me |
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| Courtyard |
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| Plan of the museum |
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| Symbol of the Uprising |
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| Leading to the Museum |
After the Museum, it had stopped raining, but we continued on the bus tour. We got on board and continued the journey.
Along the way, we passed by the main train station, the Ghetto Wall, the US Embassy, Parliament, Royal Lazienki Park, Konstytucii Square and Three Crosses Square. We, also, saw the Palace of Culture. Ohh, that sounds fancy, I hear you say. Um, yeah, not so much...
Officially called the Palace of Culture and Science, it is a HUGE building that was commissioned as a gift to the city by Stalin. Though it was supposed to be a monument to the people, it was based on the Empire State Building in NYC!! Started in 1952, the Soviets trucked in over 5000 workers to build it, and it only took 3 years and 16 deaths to complete. Supposed to be the people's castle...the people generally hated it. It was so big, it loomed over the city and stood as an example of the reach of the Soviets.
We didn't go in (apparently, there really isn't that much to see inside, just conference rooms), but it was nice to see from the outside.
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| Modern building next to old |
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| There's always a Starbucks |
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| Part of the Palace of Culture |
As the bus journeyed past some of the foreign embassies, we noticed an increase in police presence. At first, it seemed normal. But then it grew...and we could see a mass of people starting to come towards us. An anti-war rally maybe? Gay rights? What was it????
A legalize pot rally!!!! Hahahaaaa!!!!!! Quite funny. We gave a couple of waves to the very happy participants.
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| Can you find the giant joint??? |
Eventually, the bus stopped. Which was normal as it was a hop-on, hop-off with many stops. But then it just didn't move again. And we were the only ones left on board. The driver came up (double decker bus) and told us (or really indicated with his hands) that the trip was finished. Finished? But we weren't back at our hotel stop yet. Didn't the tour go in a complete circle?? Well, as it turns out, each bus has a time frame in which it works, and we were on the bus that had started at a stop that wasn't ours. So, off we were kicked!!! Luckily, we were right across the street from the Westin Hotel and we caught a cab back to our hotel.
Just in time for me to turn on my computer and sign-in for class. M & D had a few hours to relax and have a wine or two. Afterwards, we cabbed out to a very cute, well recommended traditional Polish restaurant, where I proceeded to gorge myself with pierogies!!!! YUMMM.
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| These bears were ready for some Vodka |
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| Don't go to sleep yet my spoon and fork, there's food to eat! |
A night cap at the hotel bar and it was time for bed.
**When I say our hotel was in the middle of the Jewish quarter, I mean we were right there. Right outside of our hotel was a huge monument/ sculpture. We weren't exactly sure what it was for, but I found out. It is called the Wola Massacre Statue. The Wola Massacre was a solid example of the brutality of the Nazis in Poland. According to IYP:
"Between August 5 and 6 the Nazis embarked on a savage bloodletting in an attempt to batter the Poles into submission. Led by Heinz Reinfarth and Oskar Dirlewanger, a despicable man with a history of sex crimes against minors, German units executed approximately 40,000 civilians in the Wola area of Warsaw. The massacre only came to a halt when Hitler himself intervened and declared all civilians be sent to concentration camps instead. While Dirlewanger was beaten to death by Poles after the war, Reinfarth and countless others evaded justice".
The statue was designed by Ryszard Stryjecki in 2006.**
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| Wola Massacre Statue |
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