What was

With the Soviet Red Army closing fast and the German forces in panic, on August 1, 1944, the Polish underground in Warsaw raised to arms to liberate the city. Tens of thousands of Polish insurgents seized the control of the city from the Nazis hoping for a quick end of the German occupation within a week. They defended the liberated districts against impossible odds till Oct 2, 1944. With Stalin's Red Army refusing to help, eventually the Uprising was quelled by the Nazis who then expelled all the inhabitants and dynamited and burned down the entire city over the next three months. With almost half of the insurgents dead, over 200,000 civilians killed and destruction of the capital, the Uprising was the most traumatic experience in Poland’s modern history. It influenced Poles’ approach to post-WWII challenges such as Soviet domination and shaped Solidarity as a non-violent movement.

Seattle events summary

The following series of events is planned in Seattle:

Sep 10-19 at the Polish Home in Seattle

Sep 23 - Oct 7, at the Seattle City Hall

      Oct 2, 1:30 pm opening with City officials

Part.1. Concert by the Polish Song Choir

Part.2. Performance We, Warsaw Children Will Fight for You

Part 3. Piano concert by Iwona Kaminska-Bowlby

Sep 19 at the Polish Home in Seattle

Oct 2 at the Seattle Central Public Library

Oct 2, 2 pm at the Seattle Central Public Library

Documentary

Exhibition

Sep 10-19

Polish Home

Sep 23 - Oct 7

Seattle City Hall

Oct 2, 1:30 pm

Opening

Seattle City Hall

The main part of the exhibition consists of documentary photos, maps and text describing the stages and circumstances of the extraordinary 63-day struggle. It also pays tribute to the American airmen who died flying mission over Warsaw in September 1944. It will be on display at the Polish Home in Seattle and then at the Seattle City Hall. An additional exhibition of books and films related to the Uprising will be on display at the Polish Home on Sep 19, 2004.

Admission is free at both venues.

The main exhibition was commissioned by the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles and prepared by a Polish-American design team based in California. The exhibit was compiled in cooperation with historians in USA and Poland and uses many of the same materials as the recent very successful CNN documentary featuring Zbigniew Brzezinski and Norman Davies. The exhibition is staged in Seattle by local volunteers. The additional exhibits were prepared entirely by local volunteers.

The exhibitions in Seattle are financed by the Polish Home Foundation and have been prepared with cooperation with Seattle-Gdynia Sister-City Association and of course with the Polish Home Association of Seattle. Your financial support is very much appreciated.

Anniversary

Concert

Sept 19, 2004

This event at the Polish Home celebrates the heroism of the Uprising through music and poetry.

Part 1. A concert of Polish patriotic songs performed by the Polish Song Choir under direction of Anna Sawicki.

Part 2. A performance in Polish, Warszawskie dzieci pójdziemy w bój / We, Warsaw Children Will Fight For You, featuring poetry & songs in scenes from the Uprising by the performance group from the Polish Home in Seattle under direction of Barbara Strutynski.

Part 3. A piano concert by a local artist Iwona Kaminska-Bowlby. Ms. Kaminska-Bolwby will play Chopin's sonata H-moll, op. 58, to honor the memory of her father, Jozef Kaminski ('Ziutek') who fought in the Old Town district of Warsaw.

Book

Exhibition

Sep 19

Polish Home

Oct 2

Central Public Library

The book exhibition 63 Days and Nights features books and albums as well as films in English and Polish about the Uprising with an advice how to obtain them. The exhibition will be available on the upper floor of the Polish Home on the day of the concert, Sep 19, 2004, and on the 4th Ave floor of the Seattle Central Library on the day of the movie & lecture, Oct 2, 2004. Admission free.

The Foundation plans to donate books and DVDs to Seattle libraries, such as city and university libraries, to help educate American public about the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. We welcome cash and book donations in support of this goal.

CNN movie & lecture

Oct 2, 2 pm

Seattle Central Library

The movie is the recent excellent CNN documentary on the Warsaw Uprising featuring original film clips from the Uprising as well as commentary by former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and historian Norman Davies. Prof. Marek Chodakiewicz will have a public lecture on the historical and political context of the Uprising and on making the movie.

At the Microsoft Auditorium, Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, Seattle, access at the 4th Ave floor; admission free. Movie 2 pm, lecture 2:50 pm

CNN documentary

Oct 2, 2pm

SPL

The movie and the lecture constitute one event at the Seattle Central Library. The CNN documentary about the Uprising, first aired on June 6, 2004, will be screened.

The Foundation is looking for volunteers in general, but we specifically need help in organizing the exhibitions as well as with the lecture and the movie.

The Polish Home Foundation also needs donations in money to support these events.

The Polish Home Foundation appreciates donations supporting these and other events organized by PHF. How to donate