Around 4,500 color slides by West German journalist and Poland correspondent Hans-Joachim Orth (1922–2012) were taken during his regular trips to the socialist People's Republic of Poland from the mid-1950s onwards.
Hans-Joachim Orth was particularly interested in the economic development of the country, which had been ravaged by World War II, and the reconstruction of the heavily damaged cities. He was also fascinated by everyday life in all its facets, as well as art and culture in its various forms. Orth photographed with professional medium-format color slide film, thus creating an image of “Polish socialism in color” – in contrast to the prevailing black-and-white photography and the official visual representation of the People's Republic.
Shop window in Warsaw, 1961; Image archive, Inv. No. 207235. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Restaurant in Zakopane, 1963; Image archive, Inv. No. 206781. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Neon sign in Warsaw, 1966; image archive, inv. no. 206575. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
A selection of 90 motifs from Warsaw in the 1960s was presented to the general public for the first time in fall 2017. The open-air exhibition was located on Warsaw's main boulevard, Krakowskie Przedmieście, in front of the Visitationist Church (Kościół Wizytek).
Invitation from Dom Spotkań z Historią to the exhibition opening on October 5, 2017. Foto: Hans-Joachim Orth / Dom Spotkań z Historią, Warszawa, Free access - no reuse
Exhibition panels in front of the Visitationist Church (Kościół Wizytek) in Warsaw. Dietmar Popp / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, Free access - no reuse
Shop window in Warsaw, 1961; Image archive, Inv. No. 207235. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Restaurant in Zakopane, 1963; Image archive, Inv. No. 206781. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Neon sign in Warsaw, 1966; image archive, inv. no. 206575. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Invitation from Dom Spotkań z Historią to the exhibition opening on October 5, 2017. Foto: Hans-Joachim Orth / Dom Spotkań z Historią, Warszawa, Free access - no reuse
Exhibition panels in front of the Visitationist Church (Kościół Wizytek) in Warsaw. Dietmar Popp / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, Free access - no reuse
Passers-by at Plac Wileński in Warsaw, around 1959; image archive, inv. no. 205119. Hans-Joachim Orth / Herder-Institut für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
