Then and Now ... Warsaw
As the current capital, we first take a look back at how Warsaw like many Polish cities has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of WWII.
Warsaw City Council acknowledges EU support
On the occasion of 20 years in the EU, Warsaw City Council has recognised EU investments in Warsaw's development at well over 18 billion PLN.
18.3 billion is just the figure for funds provided in cooperation with Warsaw City Council. These include investments in the underground, the upgrading of trams and buses as well as the greenery that has flourished in the city in recent years. Other EU-financed projects have supported Warsaw but at the regional, national or individual level.
However, relations with European neighbours have only recently been so constructive...
Razing of the city: 1944
Following the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and partly as retribution, Germany razed the city to the ground. 1953 saw the official commencement of the reconstruction of Warsaw's Old Town, visible in the Janusz Kurtyka Foundation Tweet below, also calling for reparations for Poland.
The Schuman Declaration of 1950, an expression of the vision of the future European Union, explicitly stated that a new community was intended not as reparations but as a means of preventing another European war and redirecting economic efforts towards peaceful economic development.
1955 - the "Palace of Culture and Science"
Warsaw's Palace of Culture is perhaps the most controversial part of the city's reconstruction. Built in 1952-1955, it was originally named in honour of Stalin, who died during its construction.
"The Palace of Culture and Science in the lens of Alfred Funkiewicz at the end of 1953...":
2004-2014 World-class museums reflecting on the past
Two world-class museums were opened in Warsaw in the first and second decades of the new millennium, both explicitly intended to raise awareness about the past.
The Warsaw Rising Museum "commemorates the largest underground combat operation in German-occupied Europe" and perhaps also offers the best explanation of the indomitable spirit that has transformed Poland:
POLIN, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, has an award-winning architectural design, but perhaps an even greater achievement was the exhibition's narrative which does not flinch from recounting brutal and tragic events from history, at the same time presenting a strong case that Poland is a tolerant country and that religious and cultural multiculturalism can flourish. Reflecting this optimism, the museum is a case where representatives of normally conflicted political sides contributed to its development.
2015-today - EU financing and upgrading Warsaw's transport system
Although an underground system for Warsaw was initially planned in the interwar period, Warsaw's first line was completed in 2008. In 2015 and thanks in great part to EU support, the second line was completed:
Sources: Radio Poland, Rzeczpospolita, X
pt
