Andrzej szpilman

Wladyslaw szpilman, wife
Halina szpilman
Did władysław szpilman family survive

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From the letter of Wladyslaw Szpilman to Yad Vashem, 20 November 1998

My name is Wladyslaw Szpilman, born on 5 December 1911 in Sosnowiec to Estera Rapaport and Samuel Szpilman.

During the Second World War I was persecuted by the German regime because of my Jewish origin. In 1940 I was incarcerated with my family in the Warsaw ghetto. In 1942 my parents, two sisters and brother were taken from the Umschlagplatz [the place where Warsaw's Jews were kept until their deportation] and deported, probably to Treblinka, where they were murdered. By a series of coincidences I managed to escape from the Umschlagplatz, and later from the ghetto, and to reach the "Aryan" side of Warsaw. I lived there, hidden by many Poles, until the Polish uprising in Warsaw on 1 August 1944. I was helped at that time by: Janina Godlewska, actress…., Andrezej Bogucki – actor…., Czeslaw Lewicki – orchestra conductor…., [all were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations in 1978].

….After the Warsaw revolt broke out on 1 August 1944, all the Poles were ordered to leave the city, and any

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Władysław Szpilman

Polish pianist, composer and Holocaust survivor (1911–2000)

Władysław Szpilman (Polish pronunciation:[vwaˈdɨswafˈʂpilman]^ⓘ; 5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000) was a Polish Jewish pianist, classical composer and Holocaust survivor. Szpilman is widely known as the central figure in the Roman Polanski film The Pianist, which was based on his autobiographical account of how he survived the German occupation of Warsaw. In the film, Szpilman is portrayed by American actor Adrien Brody.

Szpilman studied piano at music academies in Berlin and Warsaw. He became a popular performer on Polish Radio and in concert. Confined within the Warsaw Ghetto after the German invasion of Poland, Szpilman spent two years in hiding. Following the Warsaw Uprising and the subsequent destruction of the city, he was helped by Wilm Hosenfeld, a German officer who detested Nazi policies. After World War II, Szpilman resumed his career on Polish Radio. Szpilman was also a prolific composer; his output included hundreds of songs and many orchestral pieces. Szpilman was also reco

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Jews suffered untold miseries during the Nazi regime, as millions were either killed or lost their lives as they knew it. Among the several iconic Jews in the last 100 years, Władysław Szpilman ranks as one of the most important. The Polish classical composer and pianist is of Jewish descent. He is one of those who survived the Holocaust and his experiences were later converted into a movie.

Even though Szpilman is best known as a Jew who managed to survive Holocaust, the second half of his life was spent as a prolific composer, who managed to create numerous songs and orchestral pieces.

Rise to Popularity
Szpilman is a pianist who gained his skills at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. Later, he became a student at the Academy of Arts in Berlin – one of the prestigious institutions – in 1931. However, he had to return to Poland just two years later, as Adolf Hitler became the German chancellor in 1933. Szpilman quickly established himself as one of the top pianists and an excellent composer of classical music. He was making progress in his career and soon became a pian