80 Years Since Arrival of Polish Immigrants

Date: 10 May 2022 - 22:07

News ID: ۱۰۲۴۱۶

TEHRAN -- On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the arrival of Polish refugees in Iran during World War II, an exhibition entitled “Towards Hope” was opened in the presence of Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau in Tehran.
It opened in the gallery of Saba Institute of Tehran Academy of Arts and will continue until May 16.
Several foreign ambassadors and military attach living in Tehran also attended the exhibition’s opening ceremony.
Photos of Polish migration to Iran and its hardships, especially for children and women, are displayed in the exhibition.
Starting in 1942, the port city of Anzali became the main landing point for Polish refugees coming into Iran from the Soviet Union, receiving up to 2,500 refugees per day.
During WWII, over 116,000 Polish refugees were relocated to Iran. Approximately 5,000–6,000 of them were Jewish.
The refugees were weakened by two years of maltreatment and starvation, and many suffered from malaria, typhus, fevers, respiratory illnesses, and diseases caused by hunger.
In a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Sunday, Rau said that one of the missions of his travel to Tehran was to participate in the 80th anniversary of the arrival of Polish immigrants to Iran.
The Polish foreign minister stressed that Iran’s move to host Polish civilians and soldiers during World War II was commendable.