It was not until late July 1944 that the decision had been taken to fight an uprising against the German occupation forces in Warsaw. Prior to that, commanders of the Home Army had no intention of taking military action in Warsaw, wishing to avoid war damage and the suffering of civilians. by Łukasz Wojtach …
The beginnings of the Polish state have received a lot of attention, and this period still raises many questions and doubts. How did people live in Poland a thousand years ago? How could Krakow become the cradle of the Piast state? What was the role of Mieszko I’s baptism? And what do we actually know…
Many film roles, dozens of opera roles, Jan Kiepura, the “second Caruso”, conquered the world with his golden voice and charisma. How did this Polish boxer become an internationally famous singer? by Magdalena Mikrut-Majeranek From sports to concert halls The road from sports to art was a bumpy one. Jan Kiepura was a man…
The Roman Catholic Church in Poland was perceived by occupiers, and especially the Germans, as a synonym of Polishness, says Prof. Jan Żaryn, a historian from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. Polish Press Agency: What was the situation of Christian churches in Poland during the Second World War? Prof. Jan Żaryn: Most…
During the partitions of Poland, St. Petersburg recognized that it was impossible to erase Polish culture or to turn Poles into Russians. However, a few Russian officials (or tsars) thought that Poles/Catholics could never be fully loyal. That was the paradox of russification – says Professor Theodore Weeks. Nowadays, Poles and Russians are both…
An English-language translation of the Qing Imperial Illustrations of Tributary Peoples – a Chinese ethnographic album created at the behest of Emperor Qianlong in the mid-18th century – has recently been published. The publication contains descriptions of peoples with whom the Middle Kingdom maintained contacts, including Poles. by Anna Zhou The Qing dynasty (1644-1912),…
