INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

We do not know the pain that tore through Polish hearts in a country occupied for five years. We do not know what the eyes of those children saw (…). We do not know what sounds lulled them to sleep, or when they embraced their loved ones for the last time. And did the wind carry the scent of summer or of burned houses and shattered dreams? We did not live through any of this – and thank God for that. (…) [Let us remember the stories] of the insurgents, of whom fewer and fewer remain with each passing year. Let us listen to their testimonies, feel their yearning for freedom. And let us save them from being forgotten – said Vice-Marshal of the Voivodeship Aneta Jędrzejewska in Włocławek during the voivodeship commemoration of the National Day of Remembrance of the Warsaw Uprising. On August 1, as is tradition, we paid tribute across the country to the Warsaw insurgents, soldiers of the Polish Underground State, and the civilian heroes of the armed uprising against the German occupiers 81 years ago.

To best capture the mood and evoke the testimony of that time, Vice-Marshal Aneta Jędrzejewska quoted a poem by Father Jan Twardowski, a participant in the uprising:

“The boys’ uprising was full / an uprising full of dreams. / And those nostalgic songs / and that blaze of heads (…) / And Poland that will rise / from those hearts, from those hands.”

“There are 292 of them left. Warsaw insurgents who, 81 years ago, showed occupied Europe how to fight for freedom and what sacrifice such a struggle demands,” wrote Vice-Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski on social media. He took part in the anniversary commemorations in Bydgoszcz.

“We can never pay enough respect to the courage and steadfastness of those who fought for our freedom and dignity, never enough remembrance! Their stance is a model of the highest moral values, spiritual resilience, and determination in the fight against evil,” emphasized Marshal Piotr Całbecki. “Eternal glory to the heroes!”

The Warsaw Uprising, which began on August 1, 1944, and lasted 63 days, was an act of tremendous bravery, patriotism, and defiance against terror and humiliation. Soldiers of the Home Army – men and women, most of them very young – took up arms to liberate the capital before the Soviet Red Army entered. The uprising was brutally crushed by occupying forces – 16,000 fighters and 200,000 civilians lost their lives, and in retaliation the city was practically razed to the ground.

Voivodeship-level commemorations of the National Day of Remembrance of the Warsaw Uprising were held in Włocławek and Toruń. After the official ceremonies, celebratory public concerts took place in both cities – the Bydgoszcz Military Orchestra performed at the Impresary Theatre in Włocławek, and pianist Lily Phee gave a recital at CKK Jordanki in Toruń. Besides the regional government, the events were co-organized by the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivode and the Mayor of Włocławek (in Włocławek), as well as the Mayor of Toruń, the Commander of the Toruń Garrison, and the President of the General Elżbieta Zawacka Foundation (in Toruń). Participants in the ceremonies included, among others, Regional Board Member Marek Wojtkowski and Regional Councillor Sławomir Kopyść (in Włocławek), as well as Voivodeship Secretary Marek Smoczyk (in Toruń).

Commemorations also took place in other cities across the region. In Inowrocław, they were attended by the President of the Regional Parliament, Elżbieta Piniewska, and in Bydgoszcz, alongside Vice-Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski, by Regional Councillor Anna Niewiadomska.

Press Office of the Marshal’s Office

July 30, 2025
Last updated: August 3, 2025