87th Anniversary of the Outbreak of World War II (Photos)
Eighty-seven years ago, the bloodiest armed conflict in world history began, claiming tens of millions of lives, including 6 million Polish citizens. On Tuesday (1 September), commemorations marking the 87th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War were held across the region. Marshal Piotr Całbecki took part in the ceremony at the Monument to the Victims of the 1939 Pomeranian Crime in Toruń.
– The memory of the war remains important today, when beyond our eastern border, after four years, the conflict is not subsiding but escalating. The forces of evil have not disappeared. They destroy everything that free people dream of – people who want to live in peace, justice and good neighbourly relations. These forces are still active. Let us not be deceived into thinking that this war is already over. The struggle for truth, justice, peace and a safe home to which each of us has a right continues. We must therefore remain vigilant and resist the temptation to relativise the facts or look for those responsible where there are none. Let us not forget the victims, who deserve our respect and remembrance in our everyday lives and attitudes – said Marshal Piotr Całbecki.
The ceremony at the Park of Remembrance of the Victims of the Pomeranian Crime was also attended by Jan Wyrowiński, an activist of the democratic opposition before August 1980 and Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland during its 8th term, Deputy Voivode Michał Koniuch, Senator Tomasz Lenz, representatives of the local governments of Toruń and Toruń County, members of veterans’ organisations and uniformed services.
The Monument to the Victims of the 1939 Pomeranian Crime in Toruń’s Park of Remembrance was unveiled in 2018. Its simple form evokes the image of a house destroyed by shelling. Beneath the monument lies soil collected from nearly 400 known execution sites dating from the autumn of 1939 and the beginning of 1940. The site also includes plaques commemorating teachers, scouts and members of the clergy murdered in 1939, as well as a stone dedicated to the memory of Józef Władysław Bednarz, a psychiatrist and director of the psychiatric hospital in Świecie, known as the “Pomeranian Korczak”.
Commemorations were also held in other cities across the region.
In Bydgoszcz, Vice-Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Zbigniew Ostrowski took part in the anniversary ceremony at the Monument to the Struggle and Martyrdom of the Bydgoszcz Region.
– As we pay profound tribute today to the Polish soldier and all the heroes of September 1939, recalling their sacrifice and honouring their memory, let us also learn from past mistakes and draw wise conclusions from the lessons of history. May the memory of their sacrifice be not only a source of pride, but above all an obligation to build a strong, united and secure Homeland – emphasised Deputy Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski in his address.
Member of the Region’s Board Dariusz Kurzawa attended the commemorations at the Monument to the Defenders of Inowrocław, while in Włocławek, at the Monument to the Polish Soldier, the ceremony was attended by Member of the Voivodeship Board Marek Wojtkowski and regional councillors Sławomir Kopyść and Wojciech Jaranowski.
The Second World War (1939–1945), unleashed by Nazi Germany, was the bloodiest armed conflict in world history. Sixty million people were killed, while a further 20 million died as a result of war-related disease and famine. The number of Polish victims is estimated at 6 million – 16 per cent of the country’s population.
Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office
31 August 2026
Last updated: 2 September 2026
