Battle Which Didn’t Happen. On the 80th Anniversary of the Outbreak of Warld War II

At dawn on 1 September 1939, one of the first German bombs fell on the Rakowice-Czyżyny airfield near Kraków, marking the start of the war which would soon engulf Europe and beyond. During the days that followed, Kraków suffered terrible bombing campaigns, but fortunately it avoided the worst destruction. At the brink of the Second World War, Cracovians were called to arms, hoped to escape the danger and endured terror, misinformation and chaos. Six days later the city surrendered; the decision by the commanders of the “Kraków” Army is likely to have saved ancient monuments and buildings in the former capital of Poland from certain destruction. On the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion on Poland, the Museum of Krakow explores the early days of the war in the city and asks why the former Austrian stronghold was not protected in 1939 and who was making crucial decisions. Answers are featured at the exhibition at the Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. (dd)