Warsaw was one of the most heavily destroyed cities during WW2 with some 85% of the city razed to the ground. When Germany invaded in 1939 Warsaw resisted much more fiercely than expected. The Luftwaffe bombed the city extensively causing early large-scale destruction.
Subsequently in 1943 the holocaust caused substantial destruction of Jewish neighbourhoods killing tens of thousands of Jews and deporting the rest.
Hitler viewed the Poles as racially inferior. When the Polish underground launched the Warsaw uprising in 1944 the Nazis put it down brutally and launched a full scale assault with the instruction from Hitler that Warsaw was to be levelled.
Arriving in Warsaw now one has to admire the resilience of the Poles. This is a major modern city despite the German devastation and decades of Soviet neglect. Most amazingly the UNESCO heritage acclaimed old city here has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes having been rebuilt between 1951 and 1953. It is here that we spend our first afternoon here marvelling at the reconstruction.
Finally back to our apartment which is outside the old town and the nearby Palace of Culture and science. Initially built and completed by the Soviets in 1955 as Communist Party HQ. It now houses theatres and museums. The Soviets designed it deliberately to look like New York’s Empire State Building.
