Warsaw, Poland – Sirens let out a long and mournful wail and people and traffic stood still on the streets of Warsaw on Friday as Poland commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a revolt against Nazi Germany that ended tragically for the Poles.
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On Aug. 1, 1944, thousands of poorly-armed young city residents rose up against the German forces to try to take control of Warsaw ahead of the advancing Soviet army. They held on for 63 days in the cut-off city before being forced to surrender. Almost 200,000 fighters and civilians were killed in street fights and in German bombings. The Nazis expelled the survivors and set the city ablaze.
President Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk joined a group of the surviving insurgents for a series of ceremonies that honored the heroic struggle that remains a source of pride for the Poles.
Thousands of people of all ages also turned out for the day’s main ceremony in a military cemetery held on the exact hour — 5 p.m. local time — when the uprising began. Many placed candles or flowers in the national colors of white and red on graves of the fighters or at a central monument in Powazki cemetery in memory of the struggle.
Earlier Friday, Komorowski laid flowers on the graves of the revolt’s commanders.
In a long-standing tradition, people in Warsaw and many other cities stood still for a moment of homage when sirens sounded at the hour.
The Warsaw Uprising was a taboo subject until the fall of communism in 1989. It has been honored ever since as a symbol of Poland’s readiness to pay the ultimate price for freedom.
