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81 years since the Warsaw Uprising honored across Poland, New York and Osaka

02.08.2025 11:50
The 81st anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising was solemnly marked from Poland’s capital, the Pol’and’Rock Festival, New York’s Greenpoint, to the Poland Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
Participants of the PolandRock Festival observed the 81st anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising by paying tribute to those who took part in the armed resistance against Nazi German occupation during the Second World War.
Participants of the Pol’and’Rock Festival observed the 81st anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising by paying tribute to those who took part in the armed resistance against Nazi German occupation during the Second World War. Photo: PAP/Marcin Bielecki

The heroes of the largest act of resistance during WWII were remembered not only in Poland but in numerous places worldwide.

At exactly 5 p.m. on 1 August - the symbolic "W" hour marking the outbreak of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising - a minute’s silence was observed, from Warsaw and cities across Poland to communities as far afield as the United States and Japan.

For Poles, this moment has become tradition. Each year on that date sirens sound in every Polish city to commemorate the uprising against the Nazi occupiers during World War II. Buses, trams, and even Warsaw’s metro come to a standstill, as crowds gather in public squares to pay their respects.

For years, this significant anniversary has coincided with the dates of the Pol’and’Rock Festival - one of Europe’s largest free music events.

As in previous editions, festivalgoers gathered at the Czaplinek-Broczyno airfield in northwestern Poland and honoured the uprising fighters by unfurling a massive white-and-red Polish national flag.

Godzina W

Opublikowany przez Pol'and'Rock Festival Piątek, 1 sierpnia 2025

"Glory to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising. We thank you deeply," said Jurek Owsiak, head of the WOŚP Foundation - organiser of the Pol’and’Rock Festival, formerly known as Przystanek Woodstock.

The event is held annually in gratitude to the thousands of volunteers and supporters of WOŚP’s nationwide charity drive, which funds essential medical equipment for hospitals across Poland.

One of Europe's largest free music events, the Pol'and'Rock Festival, continues through the weekend at the Czaplinek-Broczyno airfield in north-western Poland. Running until the night from Saturday to Sunday, the festival offers not only live concerts but also free access to a campsite for all attenders. Photo: PAP/Marcin Bielecki One of Europe's largest free music events, the Pol'and'Rock Festival, continues through the weekend at the Czaplinek-Broczyno airfield in north-western Poland. Running until the night from Saturday to Sunday, the festival offers not only live concerts but also free access to a campsite for all attenders. Photo: PAP/Marcin Bielecki

Warsaw commemorates uprising with tributes on land, water and in the sky

In Warsaw, the anniversary of the 1944 uprising was marked with solemn and symbolic gestures throughout the city. Pilots from the local aero club drew the anchor emblem of Fighting Poland (Polska Walcząca) - in smoke across the skies. Another aircraft flew overhead trailing a banner reading Pamiętamy 1944 ("We remember 1944").

Below, a procession of boats sailed along the Vistula River, which runs through the capital, adding a maritime note to the city’s remembrance events.

That evening, thousands gathered in Warsaw’s Piłsudski Square to sing (Un)forbidden Songs - in honour of the uprising heroes.

Commemorations of this landmark event in Polish history were also held in other parts of the world.

New York marks Warsaw Uprising anniversary with tribute on Greenpoint

At 5 p.m. on 1 August - the symbolic “W Hour” - members of New York’s Polish community assembled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, the largest single act of resistance against Nazi German forces during World War Two.

The ceremony featured notable guests, including Anna Maria Anders, daughter of famed Polish WWII general Władysław Anders, and American journalist Rita Cosby, whose father, Ryszard Kossobudzki, fought in the uprising.

Remembrance reaches Asia

Commemorations were also held in Osaka, Japan, at the Poland Pavilion of Expo 2025. Visitors - both Japanese and international - paused for a moment of silence in remembrance of those who took part in the 1944 uprising.

Incident at Brandenburg Gate during Warsaw Uprising commemoration

The day was not without controversy. In Berlin, during the symbolic “W” hour members of a far-right political party led by Sławomir Mentzen - a group frequently accused of pro-Russian sympathies - deliberately set off flares at the Brandenburg Gate.

The use of pyrotechnics, strictly forbidden in Germany without prior authorisation, triggered a response from local police.

Meanwhile, the Polish Embassy in Berlin, together with the Pilecki Institute, held official commemorations of the heroic 1944 Warsaw Uprising. As part of the event, the embassy’s façade was illuminated with the “Fighting Poland” emblem - a historic symbol of the Polish resistance - and images honoring the insurgents.  

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