In September of 1939 Hitler's Army with Russia marched into Poland and occupied it. In a matter of weeks, Poland was occupied by the Germans. For the better part of the next five years the Nazi's occupied Poland. For Poland, a sovereign and thriving nation during the inter-war years was under control of Nazi Germany.
Even worse, the more Poland showed resistence, the greater Germany tightened its control on Poland. As Poland's resilience challenged the Nazi Occupation in the Warsaw Uprising, Germany almost retreated. However, Poland wasn't strong enough to resist the control alone, and alas, in the end, Russia(who had also joined the fight against the Germans,) failed to help the Poles. In the end, Germany destroyed most of Warsaw, and more and more Poles were murdered at the hands of the Nazis.
If you come to Warsaw today you will see that there are reportedly 300* monuments marked as execution sites during the war dotted around the city-center. On a casual stroll last Saturday setting out from the Ratusz Arsenal metro stop carrying my digital camera I meandered down to Novy Swiat and had a stroll through the old town to the old town square. Without a map or guide book I was able to find about 8 such monuments within the span of about an hour. Each monument will tell you on what date, exactly how many people were murdered.
I think the Poles suffered a terrible ordeal between 1939 and 1944, and I think it’s important to preserve this type of history in order to serve as a reminder that peace should never be taken for granted. If anything, history serves as a reminder of the past.
*According to the incredibly indispensable and affordable ‘Warsaw in Your Pocket’ guidebook!
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