Corner of Roosevelta and Zwierzyniecka Streets, in the foreground there is a wreck of a Soviet tank with an advertisement of Zbigniew Zielonacki’s photography studio, in the background there is Bałtyk Cinema, 1945, from the collection of the Poznań Municipal Conservation Officer, cyryl.poznan.pl

„Głos Wielkopolski” 1945, number 286, from the collection of PAN Kórnicka Library

„Głos Wielkopolski” 1945, number 220, from the collection of PAN Kórnicka Library

Cinema

During the war Polish inhabitants of Poznań were practically deprived of access to cultural institutions. Soon after the fighting for the city had ended the process of rebuilding theatres, museums and cinemas began. The majority of institutions struggled with similar problems: their buildings were destroyed, their collections stolen, damaged or scattered in different places.

Already in February 1945 museum employees began working on restoring collections. In the following months the first exhibition after the war was organised in the building of the Wielkopolska Museum, whereas the Prehistory Museum (today’s Archaeological Museum) and the Natural History Museum were both reactivated. The City Museum’s collection was exhibited in the City Hall at the time.

Cinemas in particular enjoyed popularity among the inhabitants. The first film screening after the war took place in a day room of St Adalbert’s Printing House, where an American film The Three Musketeers was screened. On 21 March 1945 Jedność Cinema was officially opened (today’s Rialto). Its building survived practically intact. In the summer as many as five cinemas were already working in the city. The state authorities at the time approved of their reconstruction, as they were interested in the use of propaganda in films.

The post-war programme was rather limited. Only a handful of film copies managed to survive. New international productions were impossible to access, and there was no money to buy them anyway. At first, the programme was dominated by Soviet films, which were particularly promoted. Over time, however, it was possible to import films from other countries as well. For the first Polish production people had to wait until 1947 when a film Forbidden songs, directed by Leonard Buczkowski, was released.