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Warsaw pays tribute to WWII insurgents ahead of 81st Uprising anniversary

31.07.2025 16:00
As Poland prepares to mark another anniversary of the 1944 Uprising, the capital has paid tribute to its last surviving insurgents - the civilians who took up arms against Nazi occupation during World War II - with commemorations, wreath-laying, and a solemn reminder of the city’s enduring spirit.
A mural commemorationg the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising has been unveiled near the Centrum metro station in Polands capital. Nearby, officials and citizens took part in a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to the Home Armys Kiliński Batalion.
A mural commemorationg the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising has been unveiled near the Centrum metro station in Poland’s capital. Nearby, officials and citizens took part in a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to the Home Army’s „Kiliński” Batalion. Photo: PAP/Szymon Pulcyn/Rafał Guz

“Warsaw remembers the insurgents - today, tomorrow, always,” city officials declared on social media, sharing images from the annual gathering with surviving veterans of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising - one of the largest civilian-led acts of resistance during World War II.

Just ahead of the anniversary, formally observed on 1 August, city leaders met with veterans on Wednesday in Freedom Park, outside the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

On Thursday, they laid wreaths at the monument to the “Kiliński” Battalion, where fierce fighting began in 1944 for control of what was then the tallest building in Warsaw - the Prudential Insurance headquarters.

Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

During the uprising, the red-and-white Polish flag was famously raised atop the Prudential building, visible across the capital, becoming a powerful symbol of Warsaw’s defiance under Nazi occupation.

Earlier this week, the Warsaw Uprising Museum also opened a special exhibition dedicated to Stefan Bałuk — a wartime paratrooper, insurgent, and renowned photographer.

The Warsaw Uprising, launched on 1 August 1944, lasted 63 days and claimed the lives of around 200,000 people - most of them civilians.

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Source: X/@warszawa/@1944pl/@MarioNawfal/@KolorHistorii