On 1 August 1944, the Warsaw Uprising began – an event that changed the Polish capital forever. After 63 days of fighting, a city that had had a pre-war population of around 1.3 million was left with just a handful of people amidst a vast sea of rubble. Warsaw’s landscape today is the result of one of the largest urban reconstruction projects of the 20th century. On the 82nd anniversary of the uprising, we show how those events shaped the city’s appearance.
The Warsaw Uprising – the capital before the uprising
Before the Second World War, Warsaw was one of the largest and most dynamically developing cities of the Second Polish Republic. Its grand boulevards, extensive tram network, numerous universities, theatres and industrial plants painted a picture of a modern metropolis. Another important feature of the city was its multicultural community, with almost one in three residents being of Jewish origin. The first major destruction came in September 1939. ‘Black Monday’, 25 September, proved particularly tragic, when the German air force carried out massive bombing raids. Among the damaged historic buildings was the Royal Castle, whose burnt-out tower quickly became a symbol of Warsaw’s resistance.
The Warsaw Uprising and the destruction of the city
The Warsaw Uprising broke out on 1 August 1944 at 5.00 pm, known as ‘Hour W’. It was a desperate attempt to resist German terror and the long-standing subjugation of the capital’s inhabitants. The uprising was organised by the Home Army under the command of General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski, whilst the fighting was led by General Antoni Chruściel ‘Monter’. It was all meant to last just a few days, but it did not end until 2 October – after 63 days. The fiercest clashes took place in the Old Town, Wola, Powiśle, Czerniaków, Mokotów and Żoliborz. The PAST building, the Main Post Office, the Krasiński Palace and the sewers through which the insurgents moved became symbols of these bloody battles. One of the most tragic events during the uprising was the Wola massacre, when German troops murdered tens of thousands of civilians.
Warsaw turned into a sea of ruins
Around 40–50 thousand Home Army soldiers took part in the Warsaw Uprising. Around 16,000–18,000 insurgents were killed, nearly 25,000 were wounded, and the number of civilian casualties reached 150,000–180,000. Following the surrender, the Germans began the systematic destruction of the city. Palaces, churches, libraries, tenement houses and public buildings were blown up. Among the structures wiped off the face of the earth were the Saxon Palace, Brühl’s Palace, the Grand Theatre, St John’s Cathedral and the Main Railway Station. Around 85 per cent of the buildings on the left bank of Warsaw were destroyed, and the historic centre virtually ceased to exist. The war also claimed a priceless cultural heritage. Archives, libraries and art collections were burnt, along with manuscripts by Juliusz Słowacki, Fryderyk Chopin and Joachim Lelewel.
An unprecedented reconstruction – the Old Town on the UNESCO list
Residents began returning to the abandoned and ruined city of Warsaw as early as the beginning of 1945. In February, the Capital Reconstruction Office was established, bringing together architects, town planners and art historians, including Jan Zachwatowicz and Józef Sigalin. The first task was to clear away millions of tonnes of rubble. The cleared bricks were reused during the reconstruction of historic buildings. The restoration of the Old Town was carried out on the basis of pre-war plans, archival photographs and paintings by Bernardo Bellotto, known as Canaletto. The results of this work were recognised worldwide – Warsaw’s Old Town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980 as an exceptional example of the reconstruction of historic buildings. In the years that followed, the Royal Route, numerous churches, townhouses and the Royal Castle were restored; the latter was completed in 1984.
A landscape shaped by history
Post-war reconstruction also brought about profound changes to the city’s urban layout. The W-Z route, the Marszałkowska Housing Estate and the Palace of Culture and Science were built, whilst many streets were widened at the expense of the surviving buildings. As a result, the city’s old neighbourhoods have disappeared forever, particularly in Śródmieście and Wola. Today’s Warsaw is a mosaic of pre-war tenement blocks, Socialist Realist buildings and contemporary skyscrapers. Discussions about the reconstruction of further lost buildings, primarily the Saxon Palace and Brühl’s Palace, continue to this day and give rise to numerous disputes. Regardless of historical assessments, the Warsaw Uprising remains a very important symbol of the struggle for freedom. Every year on 1 August at 5.00 pm, the capital’s residents observe a minute’s silence, whilst sirens sound to commemorate the event that forever changed the landscape of a city reborn from the ashes.
Source: cbw.wp.mil.pl, 1944.pl
See also:Architecture in Poland|Historic monument|History|Warsaw|Interesting facts
Old Town Square, Dekert’s side. 1944 and 2020. Photo: Ewa Faryaszewska/Museum of Warsaw, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The city centre and part of Wola in 1918 and today. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Google Earth
View of the Old Town, 1945 and 2019. Photo: Warsaw – On the Destruction and Reconstruction of the City, Warsaw: ‘Interpress’ Publishers, pp. 283 and Google Earth
Piwna Street in the Old Town, 1947 and 2020. Photos: Henry N. Cobb and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The Cross-City Bridge in 1932 and 2022. Source: National Digital Archives and Google Maps
Mansjonaria in 1945 and 2023. Source: *Warsaw 1945* by Emilia Borecka & Leonard Sempoliński, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warsaw 1975, and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski.
The Bridge Gate in 1945 and today. Source: *Warsaw 1945* by Emilia Borecka & Leonard Sempoliński, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warsaw 1975, and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The ruined Krasiński Square in the post-war years and today. Source: Polona and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
Powstańców Warszawy Square before the war and in 2022. Source: Polona and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
Szpitalna Street before the war and in 2022. Source: Polona and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – the 1920s and 2022. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The area around the Saxon Palace in 1935 and 2021. Source: mapa.um.warszawa.pl
The footbridge between the ghettos, at the junction of Chłodna and Żelazna Streets, in the early 1940s and today. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
Bank Polski, the pre-war years and the present-day remains. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The Jabłonowski Palace in 1945 and 2022. Source: NAC and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
A section of the ruins of the Old Town Square, with Fukier’s wine bar visible. 1945 and 2013. Source: *Warsaw 1945* by Emilia Borecka & Leonard Sempoliński, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warsaw 1975, and Scotch Mist, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Krakowskie Przedmieście with St Anne’s Church, 1939 and 2024. Source: NAC and Google Earth
Warsaw’s city centre shortly after the war and today. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Google Earth
Warsaw city centre immediately after the war and today. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Google Earth
Chłodna Street and the Church of St Charles Borromeo, summer 1944 and 2018. Source: NAC and Google Earth
1946 and 2018. Aleje Jerozolimskie, with Bracka Street in the foreground. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Google Earth
Długa Street and the Old Town in 1946 and 2018. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Google Earth
View of Plac Zamkowy, 1947 and 2020. Photos: Henry N. Cobb and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
