warcame, warsaw

Woke up at 4 am and it was so bright outside my brain was confused and thought it was 4 PM, but no, AM! It was nice to get some extra sleep, finally catching up after the ~3 hours I managed yesterday through travels.

We had a walking tour scheduled today that we were ever so slightly late for because of unforeseen traffic from Warsaw’s pride parade that we discovered was happening today! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many furries in real life, which was surreal to have to explain to my father about, but I will definitely be looking more into regarding their prominence. I suppose in general it’s a lot more socially acceptable than it is in the US lol.

Warsaw was made capital of Poland because it was closer than Krakow for Lithuania in their federation’s alliance’s grudge against Ivan the Terrible/Russia.

We learned about the church where Chopin’s heart was brought back in an oak container in vodka and cognac from France to Warsaw, which his sister had to hide under her dress to bring back with her after his death from tuberculosis. They were able to confirm based on his medical records in 2014 that it is in fact his actual heart! Albeit bleached white by the alcohol. Chopin’s legacy has lead to quite an emphasis on the country’s appreciation for classical musiic I’m sure; there were lots of outdoor musicians!

We also learned about the presidential palace also was used as nazi headquarters and also the base of two failed Jewish uprisings. It was also one the only buildings that wasn’t destroyed in Warsaw after Warsaw’s uprising in resistance against the Germans.

Warsaw used to have one of the largest Jewish populations in the world, excluding New York City, 1/3 residents. So you can imagine how tragic and severe the bloodshed and ruin was against the Jews…Warsaw has clearly been through a lot, more than I could ever grasp, let alone than in only 2.5 hours and 12,000 steps.

After the failed uprisings of Poles against the nazis, Heinrich Himmler demanded Warsaw be completely destroyed in 1944, with no tree or stone unturned save the Presidents palace (which was used by the nazis) and the nearby church, which was used as a lookout and for artillery. Very few buildings remained from this period otherwise.

After WWII, Poland wanted to keep Warsaw in its state as an open-air museum as a reminder of what had taken place. For people to move back and live there after what had happened, rebuilding from the rubble, is something I honestly can’t even fathom. Whether or not they had a choice, I’m unsure.

I think the thing that really struck me about Warsaw its emphasis on preservation. I think in many places in Europe, as there often is in history, is when everywhere is a battleground or history, what do you decide to remember and how? Is it something to repurpose? Is it appropriate to? Time doesn’t stop, what about its landmarks and memorials?

Warsaw does this in many different ways. Commemoration plaques are everywhere in the city in polish and english. In the town square, where the first escalator was built in the 1940s that children would flock to and ride over and over as their communist rollercoaster, there is the actual switchboard in the building’s lower level on the way to the public (free!) bathrooms, with adescription about it.

In more serious ways, Warsaw doesn’t shy away from its traumas that have occured there. It is a rare, thoughtful choice I have not often seen in many other countries when they rebuild, especially as many times as they have. Where there were bullet holes in buildings and monuments, there are patches of a different color to signify what is there. At another Church we visited, we learned about Goliath track mines that would be pressed by nazis to explode buildings and people. There is part of the tank with an explanation of what it is embedded into the wall of the Church that was rebuilt, which is near a barrack where people used to hide and risk their lives to cut the wires of the goliath tanks with axes if they were not killed by German snipers. There are people who do not believe the Holocaust happened, and these reminders are embedded into the city. These can’t be ignored because they shouldn’t. Why should they?

Those spots you see on the monument? Each spot is a patch from a bullet hole. The upper part of it doesn’t have any because it was severed, launched into the air, and destroyed.

I’ve also been thinking about how there is something poetic about Poland’s specialty in amber, knowing this about the culture and architecture. It is something that is deep within its stones and bones to preserve.