The Capital Freezes for a Minute: Warsaw Marks 82nd Anniversary of the Uprising

Exactly at 5:00 PM, Warsaw stood still as sirens wailed and church bells rang to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising.

Commemoration of the Uprising

As every year, residents of the capital paid tribute to heroes on the 82nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. Promptly at 5:00 PM, alarm sirens wailed and church bells rang in churches.

Public transport vehicles—buses, trams, and the metro—stopped for a minute. Pedestrians stood still on the streets, and private cars stopped as drivers got out. Firefighters, police officers, and medical personnel also paid tribute to the insurgents by turning on the sirens in their vehicles. Many Varsovians wore commemorative red-and-white ribbons featuring the symbol of Fighting Poland, distributed by volunteers from the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

Patriotic Gatherings and Marches

Rondo Dmowskiego was enveloped in red-and-white smoke from flares, supplemented by tire smoke from motorcyclists who gather there annually. Even before the ‘W’ hour, there were so many people that tram traffic and subsequently bus traffic in Jerozolimskie Avenues were blocked.

The gathered crowds held red-and-white flags, some with the Fighting Poland anchor drawn on them. Banners with images of 2nd Lt. Witold Janiszewski “Withal”, Col. Henryk Leliwa-Roycewicz “Leliwa”, Gen. Janusz Brochwicz-Lewiński “Gryf”, as well as banners reading God, Honor, Fatherland, were also visible.

On Castle Square, residents formed a huge symbol of Fighting Poland. Red-and-white flags with the Fighting Poland symbol flew on the PAST building.

Tribute Across the City Districts

In every district of Warsaw, residents jointly commemorated the hour of the uprising’s outbreak at characteristic points.

Watermen also paid homage to the insurgents by sailing in a flotilla under Poniatowski Bridge and laying a wreath in the Vistula River current at the symbolic site where the ship Bajka was sunk, honoring all those who sacrificed their lives in the river and on its banks during the uprising.

A smoky symbol of Fighting Poland appeared in the Warsaw sky over the Poniatowski and Świętokrzyski bridges, created by pilots from the Warsaw and Polish Aero Clubs. Additionally, an airplane towing a banner with the inscription “We Remember 1944” flew over the city.

Historical Toll of the Uprising

In Warsaw on August 1, 1944, approximately 40,000 to 50,000 insurgents took up arms. Planned for a few days, the uprising lasted over two months. During the fighting in the capital, about 18,000 insurgents died and 25,000 were wounded. Approximately 3,500 soldiers of the Kościuszko Division, who crossed the Vistula River in September 1944 to help the fighting city, also fell. Civilian casualties amounted to about 180,000 dead. The surviving residents of Warsaw, numbering about 500,000, were driven out of the destroyed city, which the Germans almost completely demolished after the uprising.