During the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, President Andrzej Duda laid a wreath in front of the plaques placed on a fragment of the wall of J. Franaszek’s factory, in the memorial site of the murdered inhabitants of Wola. – Probably there would be no freedom if not for that heroism, not that blood, that sacrifice – the president emphasized in his speech.
Throughout the day, they are held in various locations in Warsaw celebrations related to the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.
– Today is really special day every year – August 1, which is a day of remembrance for the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising for Warsaw residents, but also for everyone in Poland; about those who did not hesitate to fight – one would like to say – with a weapon in their hand, but the truth is that most of them had no weapons. At first, therefore, they fought defenseless. Only later did most of them get weapons, said the president during the ceremony in Wola, in the memorial site for the seven thousand inhabitants murdered by the Germans.
He noted that August 1 is also a day when we generally honor the great heroism of the inhabitants of Warsaw: – The special place that we must remember is Wola, where in the first days of the Uprising, the Germans committed incredible brutality by ruthlessly murdering thousands of inhabitants, defenseless civilians . These were innocent civilian victims, they were ordinary residents of Warsaw, who were simply gathered and murdered.
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– I am very happy and thank you that Warsaw remembers about them, that places like this are decorated, that residents come here, lay flowers, light candles, because this is the great martyrdom of this city, but it is also the great martyrdom of our homeland – added the President of Poland.
He also drew attention to the great steadfastness of the inhabitants of Warsaw who fought in the Uprising and those who supported them: – They were with them until the very end, in terrible conditions, most often in cellars. They survived in order to return after the Uprising and rebuild their city.
The President of Poland in front of the plaques on a fragment of the wall of J. Franaszek’s factoryRadek Pietruszka, PAP
“This overall balance is positive, so it was worth it”
According to Duda, it is a symbol not only of Warsaw, but also of the entire Republic of Poland. – The Republic, even trampled by the enemy, even beaten, even destroyed, each time rises with steadfastness of all of us through the generations, through partitions, regaining independence, the war of 1920, the Second World War, the occupation, the Warsaw Uprising, the period of communism and the steadfast soldiers who they fought to defeat the communists, to have a free Poland, said the president.
He also recalled the Solidarity movement, which brought freedom and sovereignty not only to Poland, but also to many other European nations. – After all, it was thanks to Solidarity that the Iron Curtain fell. So when we talk about heroism, it must be clearly and firmly said: this overall balance is positive, so it was worth it, because this freedom would probably not be there if not for that heroism, if not for that blood, if not for that sacrifice. Hello and praise to the heroes – said Andrzej Duda.
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was the largest underground military operation in German-occupied Europe. On August 1, 1944, about 40-50 thousand people joined the fight in the capital. insurgents. Planned for several days, it lasted over two months. During the fights in Warsaw, about 18,000 were killed. insurgents, and 25 thousand. were injured. Losses among the civilian population were huge and amounted to approx. 180 thousand. killed. The remaining inhabitants of Warsaw, around 500,000, were driven out of the city, which the Germans began to systematically destroy after the uprising.
Main photo source: Radek Pietruszka, PAP