Exhibition „Der Warschauer Aufstand 1944/Warsaw Rising 1944” in Düsseldorf

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Warsaw Rising Museum’s exhibition „Der Warschauer Aufstand 1944/Warsaw Rising 1944” will open on October 30, 2024 at the Gerhart Hauptmann Haus in Düsseldorf as part of the Warsaw Week celebrations commemorating 35 years of partnership between Düsseldorf and Warsaw.

The exhibition shows the dramatic fate of Warsaw as a city affected by the totalitarian social engineering of the German Nazi extermination machine. It begins with a presentation of pre-war Warsaw – the time when it was a vibrant city, the growth of which was interrupted by WWII. Further parts show occupied Warsaw: the German plan towards Jewish and Polish populations, decisions made in the Third Reich, street terror, the creation of the ghetto, living conditions and cultural life flourishing under extreme conditions. Special attention is drawn to the 63 days of fighting during the Warsaw Rising and the price, which Warsaw and Poland paid for its love of freedom. The exhibition’s story ends showing the reborn city, a phenomenon of post-war reconstruction, rising from the rubble to become today a modern and dynamic metropolis.

The exhibition is addressed to both old and young generations from around the world. It aims to broaden the insufficient knowledge on the reality of Poland occupied by Germans. The Warsaw Rising was a last attempt to defend the independence of Poland, and it ended in military defeat. However, the tradition of fighting for freedom outlasted the efforts of communist propagandists and accompanied the Poles during the times of communist enslavement. The Polish democratic opposition built on this tradition, as did the “Solidarity” movement. And finally, after 45 years, Poland regained its independence in 1989.

This year the Warsaw Rising Museum marks the 80th anniversary of the events which took place in 1944. Solemn celebrations took place in Warsaw with the presence of Federal German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The exhibition in Gerhart Hauptmann Haus will also be a celebration of the anniversary but in Düsseldorf. It is an example of how much Polish-German relations have changed over the past decades and proof that our nations are capable of overcoming the traumas of war and building contemporary relations based on mutual respect and understanding.

Year 2024 is special for one more reason – it has been 20 years since the Warsaw Rising Museum opened in the capital of Poland. The museum is one of the most frequently visited tourist destinations in the capital. The identity of contemporary Warsaw is tied to its history and this is especially visible at the Warsaw Rising Museum.