History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Stones for the Rampart: 1943

Jan Bytnar "Rudy" is smiling to us from this well known photo (here in the colorized version). Rudy, a hero of Grey Ranks, died shortly after being freed from German captivity by Polish resistance. His death was the result of bestial interrogation and torture by SS-Oberscharführer Herbert Schulz and SS-Rottenführer Ewald Lange. In retaliation both Schulz and Lange were liquidated (on 6th and 22nd May 1943 respectively). Many schools and over 150 boy scouts teams in Poland are named after Jan Bytnar.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [493]


Hate to quote myself but...

"550 km to Smoleńsk, 720 km to St. Petersburg and 800 km to Kursk. In those lovely cities our Slavic brothers built nuclear power plants."

polanda.com/off-topic/poland-aid-ukraine-russia-invades-part-88342/109/#msg1969211

You were absent and you missed my Polish-Russian war scenario. :)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Nope...

polskieradio.pl/39/156/artykul/3042908,zaglada-miasta-zniszczenia-warszawy-podczas-ii-wojny-swiatowej

... "Łącznie od początku II wojny światowej Warszawa została zniszczona w ponad 80 proc. ".

News / Polish Government of runs on 2 engines: Bribery from EU and Polish inferiority complex about being Polish [25]


So, you finally decided to open your second account on PF, Iron. :)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Well, "only" 80% of Warsaw was destroyed, so I supposed something was left. :-/

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Warsaw by night: 1935

Pre-war Warsaw, a city that remains only in the memory of fewer and fewer living survivors and in old photographs. Warsaw was razed almost entirely to the ground by barbarian hordes from the west. That's Polish history in a nutshell: barbarians to the east, barbarians to the west.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Corpus Christi: 1934

The octave of Corpus Christi celebrations in pre-war Poznań (3rd June 1934).

Off-Topic / thinking of writting a book about myself [219]


'Alternatively' is the word you want, Novi. 'Alternately' means na przemian.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Childhood memories: 1920

To an untrained eye this probably looks like Masztalerska Street in Poznań (looking towards Wroniecka). However, it is actually Zaułek St. in Bydgoszcz, and the kids in the photo probably didn't even realise that at that very moment a huge battle was raging on the outskirts of Warsaw, the battle to decide the future of their country and of Europe. Aaah, to be a child again, blissfully unaware of all the horrors of the world. :)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Hey, Pawian :) Where have you been, you Polish swine?

Not that I missed you, but I was kinda worried.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Always on the move: 1939

Bombs or not, the tram services must run. Tram no. 3 taking the right turn from Królewska Street into Marszałkowska.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

They see us rollin', they hatin': 1920s

Three gentlemen enjoying the drive in the countryside. Notice the perfect condition of the road.

News / Polish coal will be back [141]


Oh yeah?

News / Polish coal will be back [141]


Wasn't it the British government who closed the mines in the first place? I remember seeing some blokes in England and Scotland wearing "I still hate Thatcher" t-shirts circa 2015. :) I can only imagine how "popular" she was when still in office!

News / Polish coal will be back [141]


Hey, on this board we refer to our German friends and neighbours without the use of words which are replaced with asterisks by the forum software. :)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Lived to tell the story: 1939

Ludwik Nowakowski, a veteran of January Uprising (1863), in a radio studio in 1939. I don't know if the recording survived.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

How much is that doggy in the window?: 1939

As many as 400 Luftwaffe planes took part in the bombing of Warsaw in September 1939. In the photo we see a Polish girl standing on the ruins of her house at Żelazna 8. She went out to play with her friend and meanwhile He-111 bombers came over Warsaw. The dog survived, her family didn't. No Luftwaffe pilot was sentenced for war crimes in 1939 - they were honourable soldiers, just following their orders. Until today no reparations have been paid by Germany for 6 million dead Polish citizens and unimaginable material destruction.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Calm before the storm: 1938

A Jewish craftsman calmly walking through Zamenhofa street in Warsaw...

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Chariots of Firemen: 1920s

In 1920s Warszawska Straż Ogniowa (Warsaw Fire Brigade) exchanged all their old horse-drawn fire engines (some of them 100 years old!) into brand new motorised ones. In the second photo, taken in 1925, we can see brave Warsaw firefighters with one of their newly acquired cars. They distinguished themselves in September 1939, heroically fighting fires in bombarded Warsaw, and during the German occupation hundreds of Warsaw firemen joined firefighters' resistance organisation Skała (Rock).

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Dark Matter: 1947

Wincenty Pstrowski (in the photo above) was a hero of socialist labour. His portraits hung on the walls of schools and government offices; streets, mines and ships were named after him. He came back to Poland in May 1946, after working for 10 years as a miner in Mons (Belgium). In February 1947 he hacked through 72.5 metres of tunnel (240% of norm), 85 metres in April (273% of norm), and 78 metres in May (270%). His tunnels had 2 metres of height and 2.5 metres of width.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Commie blocks before commies: 1937

What looks like small commie blocks from 50s-60s is actually an example of then-modern blocks of flats in pre-war Warsaw (Potocka Street, Żoliborz).

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Backwater: circa 1890

Before we make fun of India or joke about Cанитарные Bойска, we would be well advised to remember that water had to be carried from wells in many European towns (not to mention villages) well into the 20th century, and nosiwoda (water carrier) was a proper job back then. In the photo we can see a water carrier in the streets of Bolesławiec (lat. Boleslavia, ger. Buntzlau). Some sources date the photo at 1873 others at 1895, so I guess it's safe to assume that it was taken some time on the threshold of the 20th century, and we can see that on the threshold of the 20th century there was no running water in a rather large town in the middle of Europe.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Found nothing. The guy is sound. Glory to Mary.


If he is a genuine knight of Mary, and it looks like he is, this whole affair in Ukraine will be over soon.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


This is too good to be true...

*goes googling for kompromat on Belousov*

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Only sinners should tremble, be them Ukrainian, Russian or Polish.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Nice. A fellow knight of Mary holding high office. *thumbs up*


Good for him! We need more people who treat their faith seriously in this godless world.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


I've always wondered how the catechists at primary schools manage to explain complicated theological ideas to children. :) I told you, Anti, your pedagogical talent is wasted in your current job.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

But at least they don't set the candy floss carts on fire, like they did to the rainbow in Saviour Square.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Correct. In the old days they were snow white. These days if you see a candy floss cart, they sell it in all the colours of the rainbow.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Candy Floss: 1960s-1980s

This pure sugar treat was an indispensable part of various fairs all over the People's Republic of Poland. One kilogram of sugar was enough to make about 30 of those sweetness bombs...

They were usually sold from small two-wheeled carts, and kids all over PRL practically inhaled them, to the detriment of their teeth and weight. :)