Warsaw was under attack since the beginning of World War II. The city was completely destroyed by airstrikes including the historic Old Town and the Royal castle at the end of WWII. During the Siege of 1939, more than 10,000 citizens perished and more than 50,000 were wounded before the lack of supplies forced a surrender.
In February 1945, Polish-made Warsaw its capital, and an office for urban reconstruction were set up. In the following years, the city was rebuilt, the scars of war almost entirely healed over, and the city expanded beyond its prewar size in both area and population. The ‘Bricks for Warsaw’ campaign was started under the communist regime in which large prefabricated housing projects were started and new buildings were designed to replace the old ones. Some of the buildings from the 19th century that have survived in a reasonably constructible form were nonetheless demolished in the 1950s and 1960s, like the Kroonenberg Palace. Despite wartime destruction and post-war remodeling, many of the historic streets, buildings, and churches were restored to their original form.
Take a look at these amazing historic photos that show Warsaw in the mid-1950s.
