By Anna Copeland
There's nothing quite like experiencing the spectacular countryside and story-steeped cities of Eastern Europe via rail. Holidays by train let the traveller see parts of the region rarely glimpsed from other modes of transport, and rolling across the landscape in a train lends a sense of history to the journey - this was once, after all, the primary means of travel.
In Poland the railways have a complex history of their own, often fascinating, sometimes dark, with bright flashes of heroism. Anyone exploring the country on holidays by train will no doubt encounter stories from the railways' past; read on for an introduction to that history.
The 19th century to 1939
Railways have had a key part to play in Polish political history. The first railways were built in Poland in the 1840s, by Prussian and Austrian powers that ruled portions of the divided country; these were joined by Russian lines in the 1870s. These lines were of great strategic significance in World War I, after which, Polish independence allowed the management of railways previously run by other powers to be taken over by Polish railwaymen. The state created a Railway Department and built many more lines, running the system until World War II, when German and Soviet occupiers took them over.
World War II
During World War II, occupying forces again put the railways to their own use, this time with harrowing ends. Most of the Polish lines fell first into Soviet hands, and were taken over by German forces in 1941. They were used to transport goods and personnel, but more famously for taking prisoners to Nazi concentration camps - which made them a prime target for sabotage and rescue operations performed by the Polish Resistance. Trains were also used to save lives: earlier, before the invasion, they carried Polish Jewish children to Vienna where they would join others from Germany, Austria and Hungary to take another train for London as part of the 'Kindertransport' rescue mission.
Communist Poland
After the war, the shift in Poland's borders meant that several German railways came under Polish control; the country also received German trains in compensation for its losses during the war. Holidays by train became possible again, though the experience was very different to that of today: anyone going to, or returning from, Poland from the west had to travel through East Berlin; travellers' accounts from this time report efficient trains patrolled by stern guards, and sights of war-scarred cities.
Many travellers taking holidays by train today will meet others who have their own memories of these periods. So go with open ears and you're bound to learn a great deal about the history that your route passes through.
In Poland the railways have a complex history of their own, often fascinating, sometimes dark, with bright flashes of heroism. Anyone exploring the country on holidays by train will no doubt encounter stories from the railways' past; read on for an introduction to that history.
The 19th century to 1939
Railways have had a key part to play in Polish political history. The first railways were built in Poland in the 1840s, by Prussian and Austrian powers that ruled portions of the divided country; these were joined by Russian lines in the 1870s. These lines were of great strategic significance in World War I, after which, Polish independence allowed the management of railways previously run by other powers to be taken over by Polish railwaymen. The state created a Railway Department and built many more lines, running the system until World War II, when German and Soviet occupiers took them over.
World War II
During World War II, occupying forces again put the railways to their own use, this time with harrowing ends. Most of the Polish lines fell first into Soviet hands, and were taken over by German forces in 1941. They were used to transport goods and personnel, but more famously for taking prisoners to Nazi concentration camps - which made them a prime target for sabotage and rescue operations performed by the Polish Resistance. Trains were also used to save lives: earlier, before the invasion, they carried Polish Jewish children to Vienna where they would join others from Germany, Austria and Hungary to take another train for London as part of the 'Kindertransport' rescue mission.
Communist Poland
After the war, the shift in Poland's borders meant that several German railways came under Polish control; the country also received German trains in compensation for its losses during the war. Holidays by train became possible again, though the experience was very different to that of today: anyone going to, or returning from, Poland from the west had to travel through East Berlin; travellers' accounts from this time report efficient trains patrolled by stern guards, and sights of war-scarred cities.
Many travellers taking holidays by train today will meet others who have their own memories of these periods. So go with open ears and you're bound to learn a great deal about the history that your route passes through.
Anna Copeland is the Marketing Manager for The Danube Express, which specialises in holidays by train. The Danube Express has a range of exclusive train holidays to Europe, travelling across countries like Poland, Hungary and Turkey.
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