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

The Greater Poland Uprising was a spontaneous yet well-organized and ultimately successful revolt of the people of Greater Poland. Today (9 January), Marshal Piotr Całbecki and Chair of the Regional Parliament Elżbieta Piniewska are taking part in the Regional celebrations of the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising in Żnin, co-organized by the regional government.

“The wisdom of the leaders of that time—especially Prime Minister Ignacy Jan Paderewski—meant that freedom reached the Pałuki region, and it also had a huge impact on the terms negotiated in the Treaty of Versailles signed in June 1919. Without the Greater Poland Uprising, there would have been no free Kujawy and Pomorze,” emphasized the head of the region during the ceremony at Primary School No. 1 named after the Greater Poland Insurgents in Żnin.

Participants in the celebrations also attended a Holy Mass for the Homeland, celebrated by the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, at the Church of St. Florian, a historical reenactment display at Freedom Square, and a patriotic concert.

Those attending the National Day celebrations included Deputy Voivode of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Piotr Hemmerling, as well as representatives of local government authorities, uniformed services, institutions, and patriotic organizations.

The Greater Poland insurgents liberated Żnin on 11 January 1919. On the anniversary of this event, the local community commemorates the participants of the uprising along the Avenue of the Heroes of the Greater Poland Uprising, marked by stone plaques engraved with their names. This year, new plaques were unveiled in the avenue dedicated to three participants of the uprising: General Kazimierz Grudzielski, commander of the northern front; Wiesław Tuchołka, the first county governor (starosta) of Żnin after its liberation; and Walerian Daniel, a participant in the fighting for the city.

The aim of the uprising, which broke out on 27 December 1918 in Poznań, was to incorporate Greater Poland into the reborn Polish state. The fighting quickly spread to the rest of historic Greater Poland. Some of the fiercest battles took place in northeastern Greater Poland, in the areas of the then Żnin and Szubin counties.

To commemorate the uprising of the people of Greater Poland, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland established 27 December as a state holiday in 2021—the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising.

Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson
Marshal’s Office

9 January 2026