HITHERTO UNKNOWN
GERMAN PHOTOS
FROM THE WARSAW UPRISING
During the occupation, Germans residing in the Polish capital often photographed Warsaw, however during the Warsaw Uprising, photographs were taken primarily by photojournalists from so-called propaganda companies - operating within the structures of the German army and subject to the current propaganda guidelines of the Third Reich. The collection acquired by the Warsaw Rising Museum is a rarity - these are documentary photographs devoid of ideological overtones. With these photos, we can observe the activity of selected units in the fighting capital in 1944.
The photographs, purchased with the PGE Foundation's support, are a unique collection illustrating insurgent Warsaw. It will be a valuable part of the Museum's collection documenting the Warsaw Uprising from a different perspective. It is yet another historical material purchased with PGE's support from a foreign collector and brought to Poland. We know how crucial it is that the testimonies of those times are kept in Poland - in institutions such as the Warsaw Rising Museum, where they are available to all interested parties and serve to nurture Polish historical memory - said Wojciech Dąbrowski, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.
The photos show German positions in various parts of Warsaw - from Praga, through the Old Town, to Wola and Ochota. They portray the Germans preparing to defend themselves from the Soviet troops approaching the right bank of the Vistula: The Wehrmacht manning artillery
The Warsaw Rising Museum has received 59 original photographs from the Warsaw Uprising previously unknown. The photographs taken by a German photographer show the insurgent city from a different perspective and constitute a valuable historical document. PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna provided support for the purchase of the photographs.
Joanna Jastrzębska, Ryszard Mączewski
The Warsaw Rising Museum