The display at the Bush House Arcade, held under the motto "Warsaw Calling," focuses on the personal stories of the fighters involved in the 63-day battle, which broke out in the Polish capital on August 1, 1944.
The 1944 Warsaw Uprising is described by historians as the biggest rebellion against Hitler’s rule in occupied Europe.
Another strand of the exhibition is the plight of the civilians caught up in the conflict.
The Polish Cultural Institute in London writes on its website that “the suffering, the courage and the despair of those involved" in the Warsaw Uprising "resonates widely in today’s world with its multiple violent conflicts."
Outlining the historical context of the events of 80 years ago, the Polish Cultural Institute writes: “The Polish commanders wanted to take control of the capital before the arrival of the Soviet Red Army, which was approaching Warsaw’s eastern suburbs, sweeping German forces out of its way. The Poles believed that by establishing their authority they could somehow forestall the imposition of Stalinist rule. Their hopes were in vain – the Red Army halted its advance and failed to provide any real help during the uprising, while supplies from western allies, parachuted in, were too meagre to make a difference."
The exhibition was organised by the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust and the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War, the Department of History and the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. It runs until August 8 and later moves to the Polish Social and Cultural Centre, POSK, where it will be on display from August 10 to 30.
Around 18,000 insurgents lost their lives during the Warsaw Uprising. Some 180,000 civilians were massacred, or killed by crossfire or bombing, as the Germans took Warsaw back street by street.
(mk/gs)
