An outdoor exhibition of photographs of Warsaw taken by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during World War Two has opened in Warsaw.

The exhibits are only a small fraction of the Luftwaffe Archive which was seized by the Americans in 1945. In 2003 Zygmunt Walkowski, a photographer and researcher of Warsaw history, was able to copy several thousand photos taken by the Germans during reconnaissance flights over the Polish capital before, during and after the Warsaw Rising (1 August – 3 October 1944), while doing research at the American National Archives in College Park, Maryland.

The photos dating from 27 July 1944 are said to be of special documentary merit as the last record of the city’s streets and architectural layout on the eve of the sixty three day-long Rising which resulted in the almost total destruction of the town.

The exhibition is on show till 24 May. It is sponsored by the Dom Spotkań z Historią, a cultural institution of the City of Warsaw which focuses on educational projects connected with Poland’s recent history.