List of Polish cities and towns damaged in World War II
![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Destroyed_Warsaw%2C_capital_of_Poland%2C_January_1945.jpg/250px-Destroyed_Warsaw%2C_capital_of_Poland%2C_January_1945.jpg)
As the German army retreated during the later stages of the Second World War, many of the urban areas of what is now Poland were severely damaged as a result of military action between the retreating forces of the German Wehrmacht and advancing ones of the Soviet Red Army. Other cities were deliberately destroyed by the German forces. One of the most famous of these planned destructions was the razing of Warsaw, the capital of Poland.[1] While extensively damaged by the failed Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Warsaw Uprising, the city later underwent a planned demolition by German forces under order from Adolf Hitler and high officials within the Nazi government. On 17 October 1944, SS chief Heinrich Himmler famously stated, "The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht."[2] Before they were stopped by the advancing Red Army, 85% of the city had been taken out.[3] Warsaw was far from the worst off after the Nazi retreat; 97% of Jasło[4] and 100% of Polanów were reduced to rubble.[5] Other towns such as Wałcz fared better, with only a quarter of the city being destroyed.[5] Ancient historical buildings in Polish cities were not spared; for example, Trzemeszno's Romanesque basilica of 1130-45 was burnt down in 1945.[5]
See also
[edit]- List of former cities of Poland
- Planned destruction of Warsaw
- Strategic bombing during World War II
- Bombing of Wiener Neustadt in World War II
References
[edit]- Notes
- ^ Anthony M. Tung (2001). Preserving the world's great cities:The Destruction and Renewal of the Historic Metropolis (2001 ed.). Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-70148-0.
- ^ Wituska, Tomaszewski 2006, p. xxii.
- ^ a b Free Europe Committee 1970, p. 10.
- ^ a b Lisa Chapman (July 7, 2009). "Polish town at odds over Hitler's oak". Austrian Times. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq "На карте Польши", библиотечка "Польши" (2)
- ^ Terence Neiland (July 23, 1995). "Q and A". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
- ^ Nowak 1989, p. 214.
- ^ "Zabytki i historia Pomorza - Gdańsk 1945 - "wyzwolenie" i zniszczenia". zdsk.pl. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ "Historia Gdańska". Gdańsk - oficjalny portal miasta (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ "HISTORIA WOJSKOWEJ KOMENDY UZUPEŁNIEŃ W SUWAŁKACH". WKU Suwałki. 27 December 2021.
- Bibliography
- Free Europe Committee. East Europe, Volumes 19-20 (1970 ed.). East Europe Pub.
- Nowak, Margaret Collingwood (1989). Two who were there: a biography of Stanley Nowak (1989 ed.). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1883-5. - Total pages: 276
- Krystyna Wituska, Irene Tomaszewski (2006). Inside a Gestapo prison: the letters of Krystyna Wituska, 1942-1944 (2006 ed.). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3294-3. - Total pages: 127