Warsaw's Reconstructed Old Town and Exhibitions Probe Poland's Unsettled Past
In 2015, the seventh edition of the Warsaw Under Construction festival took place, organized by the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Warsaw. The festival's key exhibition, Reconstruction Disputes, was hosted in a former school slated for redevelopment, complementing displays at the Foksal Gallery Foundation and Zacheta National Gallery of Art. It highlighted that over 80% of Warsaw was devastated during World War II, with the 'old town' reconstructed between 1945 and 1951, resulting in a confusing urban design due to debates within the Warsaw Reconstruction Office. Artist Piotr Uklański showcased photographs addressing Polish-German relations, while Zacheta's exhibit Zaraz Po Wojnie explored postwar anxieties. In 2015, the sale of state-owned properties ignited profit restitution movements, and Poland's fertility rate stood at 1.3 in 2013 amid political changes.
Key facts
- Warsaw's old town was reconstructed from 1945 to 1951 by the Warsaw Reconstruction Office.
- The seventh Warsaw Under Construction festival occurred in 2015, organized by the Museum of Modern Art and Museum of Warsaw.
- Piotr Uklański's 2015 photographs at Foksal Gallery Foundation include images of Auschwitz and war memorials.
- Zacheta National Gallery of Art hosted the exhibition Zaraz Po Wojnie (Just After the War).
- Bolesław Bierut annulled private land ownership in central Warsaw in the early 1950s.
- In 2015, former state buildings in Warsaw were being sold for private redevelopment.
- Poland's fertility rate was 1.3 children per woman in 2013.
- The far-right Law and Justice party gained electoral support in recent elections.
Entities
Artists
- Piotr Uklański
- Bolesław Bierut
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- Museum of Warsaw
- Warsaw Reconstruction Office
- Zacheta National Gallery of Art
- Foksal Gallery Foundation
- Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party
- Law and Justice party
Locations
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Auschwitz