Warsaw Uprising aftermath Planned destruction of Warsaw

1 warsaw uprising aftermath

1.1 expulsion of civilians
1.2 looting , destruction of buildings
1.3 burning of libraries
1.4 notable damaged or destroyed structures

warsaw uprising aftermath
expulsion of civilians

warsaw uprising, august 1944



most of warsaw destroyed german forces during war. shown old town market place, dated january 1945.

in december 1939, first mass shootings of civilians took place in kampinos forest near warsaw, thousands killed 1943. in 1940, round-ups (łapanki) of civilians on streets , in homes became norm. did not manage escape sent concentration camps @ auschwitz , majdanek or forced slave labour in germany. nazis divided warsaw jewish sector, polish sector , german sector. programme of annihilation , ethnic cleansing systematically carried out starting polish jews , jews other areas shipped warsaw ghetto.

in 1940, germans turned northern part of mid-town warsaw, 1 square mile in size, jewish ghetto surrounded ten foot high walls , watch-towers. population swelled 500,000 estimates. between july 22 , october 3, 1942 ghetto evacuated. more 300,000 inhabitants perished in nazi camps; 70,000 remaining in ghetto employed slave labourers supplying german army. in april 1943 nazis undertook final destruction of ghetto triggered ghetto uprising. uprising put down mercilessly , whole district razed ground.

elsewhere in warsaw collective responsibility rule resulting in murders of thousands, resulted in warsaw uprising on august 1, 1944. in response, under orders heinrich himmler, warsaw kept under ceaseless barrage nazi artillery , air power sixty-three days , nights erich von dem bach, ss-gruppenführer , police general took on heinz reinefarth @ helm. von dem bach later wrote meeting reinefarth: reinefarth drew attention existence of clear order issued himmler. first thing told me has been distinctly ordered not take prisoners kill every inhabitant of warsaw. asked him, women , children, too? replied, yes, women , children, ... in wake of unprecedented planned destruction , ethnic cleansing, 1944 around 800,000 civilians killed, or 60% of population.

a few days after outbreak of uprising hans frank wrote in diary: warsaw sea of flames. set houses afire surest way deprive insurgents of hiding places. when crush uprising, warsaw deserves – complete annihilation.

in 1944, large transit camp (durchgangslager) constructed in pruszków s train repair shops (zakłady naprawcze taboru kolejowego) house evacuees expelled warsaw. in course of warsaw uprising , suppression, germans deported approximately 550,000 of city’s residents , approximately 100,000 civilians outskirts, sending them durchgangslager 121 (dulag 121). security police , ss segregated deportees , decided fate. approximately 650,000 people passed through pruszków camp in august, september, , october. approximately 55,000 sent concentration camps, including 13,000 auschwitz. included people variety of social classes, occupations, physical conditions, , ages. evacuees ranged infants few weeks old extremely elderly. in few cases, these people of different ethnic backgrounds, including jews living on aryan papers.

some people hid in deserted city. called robinson crusoes of warsaw (after robinson crusoe) or cavemen. germans called them rats , killed them if found within city ruins. best known warsaw robinson władysław szpilman. szpilman s experiences adapted in film pianist.

looting , destruction of buildings

german verbrennungskommando (burning detachment) destroying warsaw. taken on leszno street. left: building no. 24, 22 & part of 20.



sprengkommando preparing blow royal castle, 8th september 1944

after remaining population had been expelled, germans began destruction of remnants of city. special groups of german engineers dispatched throughout city in order burn , demolish remaining buildings. according german plans, after war warsaw turned nothing more military transit station. demolition squads used flamethrowers , explosives methodically destroy house after house. paid special attention historical monuments, polish national archives, , other places of interest destruction carried out under supervision of german scholars. couldn t taken germans burnt or destroyed. nothing left of used city of warsaw.

by january 1945, between 85% , 90% of buildings had been destroyed; includes 10% result of september 1939 campaign , following combat, 15% during earlier warsaw ghetto uprising, 25% during uprising, , 40% due systematic german demolition of city after uprising.

german demolition unit (sprengkommando) led major sarnow



royal castle square destroyed, warsaw, 1945 view



incendiary unit - vernichtungskommando, destroying warsaw, 1944



remains of saxon palace , tomb of unknown soldier, 1945.



funeral in city street during warsaw uprising, 1944

material losses estimated @ 10,455 buildings, 923 historical buildings (94%), 25 churches, 14 libraries including national library, 81 primary schools, 64 high schools, university of warsaw, warsaw university of technology, , of city s historical monuments. million inhabitants lost of possessions. exact losses of private , public property, including pieces of art, other cultural artifacts , scientific artifacts, unknown must considered substantial since warsaw , inhabitants richest , wealthiest poles in pre-war poland. in 2004, president of warsaw, lech kaczyński (later president of poland) established historical commission estimate losses public property alone inflicted on city german authorities. commission estimated losses @ least $31.5 billion. estimates later raised $45 billion , in 2005, $54.6 billion (all equated 2004 dollars). official estimates don t include immense losses of private property, of unknown value since of pre-war documents (such insurance values of private collections) have been destroyed, considered between double , triple official estimates (which based on documented losses - while example, national library s list of pre-war property lost estimated 1% of collection since germans destroyed archives too).

notable dates in history of destruction of warsaw, in 1944:

september 4 – royal castle
october – collection of manuscripts national library of poland burned
december 18 – brühl palace
december 27 – saxon palace
december – Łazienki palace burned, 1,000 holes drilled in walls; structure preserved, however.

alfred mensebach, 1 german architect , number of camera teams documented destruction.

burning of libraries

interior of zamoyski estate library in building @ Żabia street.



the 12th-century meuse school bible, 1 of books burned germans in october 1944.

during german suppression of warsaw uprising of 1944 around 70 80% of libraries burned verbrennungskommandos (burning detachments), mission burn warsaw. in october 1944 załuski library, oldest public library in poland , 1 of oldest , important libraries in europe (established in 1747), burned down. out of 400,000 printed items, maps , manuscripts, 1,800 manuscripts , 30,000 printed materials survived.

in last phase of warsaw uprising , after collapse, in september , october 1944, 3 major private libraries in warsaw (krasiński library, przeździecki library , zamoyski library), including collections of priceless value polish culture, ceased exist. libraries had suffered in september 1939, when bombed , burned.

an important collection of books belonging krasiński estate library, created in 1844, largely destroyed in 1944. collection consisted of 250,000 items. during uprising, on september 5, 1944, library s warehouses shelled german artillery , burned completely. of books preserved, thrown through windows library s staff. surviving collection later deliberately burned germans in october 1944 after collapse of uprising. 26,000 manuscripts, 2,500 incunables, 80,000 printed books, 100,000 drawings , printmakings, 50,000 note , theater manuscripts large collection of maps , atlases lost. przeździecki estate library in 6 foksal street included 60,000 volumes , 500 manuscripts, rich archive containing 800 parchment , paper documents, cartographic collection consisting of 350 maps, atlases , plans. in addition 10,000 prints , drawings, there extensive art gallery (portrait of casimir jagiellon 15th century, portrait of john iii sobieski schleissheim palace, house altar of sophia jagiellon, 1456), valuable collection of miniatures , decorative art: textiles, porcelain, faience, glass, gold objects, military, etc. burned down on september 25, 1939 result of severe aerial bombardment germans (incendiary bombing). surviving items sheltered in neighbouring tenement house @ szczygla street burned in october 1944. last of above mentioned libraries, zamoyski estate library, acquired collections of 70,000 works (97,000 volumes), more 2,000 manuscripts, 624 parchment diplomas, several thousand manuscripts, collection of engravings, coins , 315 maps , atlases. library collections gathered numerous collections of art: rich collection of militaria, miniatures, porcelain, faience , glass, natural collections, research tools etc. in 1939, 50,000 items (about 30%) destroyed in bombing. on september 8, 1944, germans set fire both zamoyski palace (blue palace) , library building.

the central military library, containing 350,000 books on history of poland, destroyed, including library of polish museum in rapperswil deposited there safekeeping. collection of rapperswil library transported poland in 1927. library , museum founded in rapperswil, switzerland, in 1870 refuge [poland s] historic memorabilia dishonored , plundered in [occupied polish] homeland , promotion of polish interests. greater part of library s collections, 20,000 engravings, 92,000 books , 27,000 manuscripts, deliberately destroyed germans in 1944.

unlike earlier nazi book burnings specific books deliberately targeted, burning of libraries part of general burning of large part of city of warsaw. resulted in disappearance of many valuable old books , scrolls among sixteen million volumes national library, museums , palaces burnt indiscriminately germans in poland during world war ii.

notable damaged or destroyed structures