Rare collection of 35 photographs documenting scenes from the city of Warsaw in September 1939, following the German invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II. Taken by the Germans themselves upon their entry into Warsaw, the photographs capture their first encounters with the city’s Jewish population. The photographs are mounted on cardboard boards and captioned in handwritten German.
The caption at the top of one of the pages reads: Kriegszerstörungen in Warschau, Sept. 1939 – “War destruction in Warsaw, September 1939.” Alongside images of the city’s ruins, Jews are seen emerging from hiding places where they had taken shelter during the bombings, attempting to find food and supplies for their families. Their faces reveal an unawareness of what awaits them with the approaching entry of German soldiers on foot.
Among the photographs: Jews in Piłsudski Square – in the heart of Warsaw; “Graves of fallen soldiers in the park named after Elżbieta ‘Ciecha’ Karpiej”; Jews emerging to search for food in Ogród Saski (Schwarzhandel) – the Saxon Garden, a public park in central Warsaw. The photo depicts an informal marketplace (“black market”), with masses of people packed together, selling and buying basic goods. Marszałkowska (zerstörte Barrikade) – Jews on Marszałkowska Street, one of the city’s main thoroughfares. Nowy Świat – “New World Street, ” a major avenue in Warsaw. The photo shows a stark scene of massive destruction – entire building facades have collapsed, people walk among the rubble. A photograph of a German soldier’s grave, with a steel helmet placed on a temporary marker. Marszałkowska Street – a main street in Warsaw, with an image showing a fire or explosion, crowds of people watching. “The New Main Railway Station” – the station building appears completely destroyed. “Ministry of the Interior” – the ministry building in Poland, shown entirely in ruins, with people and rubble in the background. Królewska Street – destroyed buildings, collapsed exterior walls. Plac Krasiński – Krasiński Square – a Jewish peddler with an Eastern European religious appearance holding a candle beside a stall, surrounded by bowls. On another page titled: “Ruined Warsaw after the fighting – ruins, markets, and life under German occupation, ” appear photographs of Krakowskie Przedmieście – Warsaw’s historic main street, one of the city’s central avenues. In the image: a colonnaded building lies in ruins, with people walking past. Extensive destruction of building facades is seen. The German caption notes the location: “beneath the Brühl Palace” (a prominent building that served the Polish government), alongside the “destroyed Cascade Café.” Vast areas of rubble with solitary figures walking along them, and more.
Warsaw was captured by Nazi Germany on September 28, 1939, after a three-week siege that began on September 8, 1939. The siege of Warsaw was part of the German invasion of Poland – the beginning of World War II on September 1, 1939. The city was bombed from the air and heavily damaged by artillery, resulting in thousands of deaths and massive destruction of infrastructure and buildings. Despite determined fighting by the Polish army and armed civilians, they stood little chance against the overwhelming power of the German military. On September 27, Warsaw agreed to surrender, which was officially signed the following day. After the occupation, Warsaw came under German military rule, marking the beginning of a period of repression, terror, and decrees against the Polish and Jewish populations, which would later lead to the establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto.
35 photographs. Uniform size: 9×6 cm. Mounted on three cardboard sheets measuring 30×22 cm (on both sides of each sheet). Very good condition.
