Warsaw. The return of the flag at the “Radosława” roundabout

“The Freedom Mast at the “Radosława” roundabout is ready for November 11,” wrote the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, on Friday on social media.

The flag was removed for the mast renovation. The Public Lands Authority announced that the work included the construction of the mast, the flag raising/lowering system and the electrical installation.

The Freedom Mast was created as a private initiative commemorating the Warsaw Uprising, the city donated the area. The location of the Mast was chosen due to the fact that three districts – Śródmieście, Wola and Żoliborz – converge at the roundabout of the AK Group “Radosław” – where fighting took place during the Warsaw Uprising.

The project gained the support of, among others, the board of the Warsaw Insurgents Association and the Council of the Warsaw Uprising Museum. The Freedom Mast was also supported by Polish senator Aleksander Pociej, representing the residents of the Wola district.

The construction of the Mast began in early August 2014. Drilling was performed, then a concrete foundation was poured, on which a steel structure was placed, made at the H. Cegielski plant in Poznań. Its installation required relocating the tram traction cables. After completion of construction, the Freedom Mast was handed over to Warsaw on November 10.

Every year, from August 1 to October 2, the Polish flag with an insurgent anchor is hoisted to the top to commemorate the Warsaw Uprising. On the remaining days of the year, the national flag flies on the structure. It has the largest area in Poland – 100 square meters.

The mast foundations are 9 pieces of deep foundation piles with a total length of 128 m, a weight exceeding 3 tons and over 58 cubic meters of concrete. The piles are connected with a reinforced concrete cap made of 100 cubic meters of concrete and over 11 tons of steel. The structure of the Freedom Mast itself weighs almost 40 tons.

Information boards in the form of benches were placed at the Mast with the inscription: “Erected on the 96th anniversary of regaining Poland's Independence, on the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, on the 25th anniversary of Free Elections in Poland, on the 10th anniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union in tribute to all those thanks to whom Poland is today a free, reborn country.