Introduction

In Poznań’s history the year 1945 abounded with events and changes: first the Battle of Poznań with the Red Army, then debris removal and cleaning of the city, numerous waves of  migration and confrontation with the new socioeconomic system. Everyday endeavours to satisfy the basic housing and educational needs were accompanied by the struggle with hunger, health problems and poverty. Rebuilding lives was an incredibly difficult task, however there was also room for striving to fulfil one’s dreams and ambitions as well as for respite and a bit of entertainment.

Our goal is to tell this story from the perspective of the inhabitants of Poznań. The story will primarily encompass major social issues and present the voices of those who experienced the harsh reality of life after the war first hand. We also refer to press articles, reports and photographs. The exhibition even features limericks published regularly in the post-war press. Some of the official materials from 1945 had propagandist overtones, resulting from the policy of the political authorities at the time. The exhibition employs them, first and foremost, as a source of knowledge about events and initiatives important to the urban community as well as as a reflection of particular social transformations and conversation accompanying them.

The following story about the post-war period presented at the exhibition is a result of a selection of certain themes and subjects from an abundance of historical material. However, we believe that the exhibition’s influence goes beyond the basic well-known notions about the past. Through this medium we want to ask questions which remain important even today about the processes of reconstruction, adjustment to new circumstances and strategies of coping with ensuing crises.