August 1, 1944
81th Anniversary of Warsaw Uprising
This year we are commemorating the 81th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. Join the Poles at 5 PM CET/11 AM ET for one minute of silence—symbolizing the ‘W’ Hour, “the codename for the date and time that began Operation Tempest in German-occupied Warsaw, and hence the Warsaw [Uprising].”—Wikipedia
On August 1, 1944, at 17:00 o’clock, the Polish Home Army rose against the occupying power in a desperate and courageous attempt to liberate Warsaw from national socialist oppression. This uprising lasted for 63 days and became a symbol of the Polish nation’s free will and invincibility.
Over 200,000 Poles, many of them civilians, lost their lives in this heroic battle. Despite the unequal force conditions and devastating losses, the Uprising remained an inspiring example of resilience and sacrifice.
Friday, August 1, 2025, 7:00–9:00 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)
Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York
233 Madison Avenue, Jan Karski Corner, New York
Admission by prior registration only.
On the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, we are honored to invite you to a special meeting with Mr. Jerzy Malewicz (pseudonym “Kowalski”), a participant in the Uprising and a soldier of the 2nd “Waligóra” District, later part of the “Sienkiewicz” Group and subsequently the “Gozdawa” Battalion. The event will be accompanied by a performance of Warsaw Uprising songs by the Polonia Children’s Choir.
When in Warsaw, do not forget to visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum (Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego). The Museum of the Warsaw Uprising organizes special events and exhibitions to keep the memory of this significant historical event alive.
A Concert, a theatre play, an urban game, exhibitions and official commemorations – all these events are organized to pay tribute to the Warsaw Rising participants. We kindly invite you to see what we have prepared for the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Rising.
81st Anniversary of the Warsaw Rising – Program Schedule
Tuesday, July 23, 6:00 PM
The Best. Silent Unseen. GROM Exhibition
Liberator Hall, Warsaw Rising Museum
Opening reception. Admission by invitation only.
Friday, July 25, 8:00 PM
Concert and Album Premiere: Sierpniowe – PIETRUCHA | MIUOSH | PIETRUCHA + GUESTS
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Tickets available at the Museum’s ticket office, at bilety.1944.pl, and eventim.pl
Live broadcast on TVN24 and the Warsaw Rising Museum Facebook page
25 July – 7 August
Remembrance Caught on Camera – The Eugeniusz Lokajski Photography Competition
The 7th edition of the photography competition for the best photo taken during the commemoration of the anniversary of the Warsaw Rising
Send your work at: foto@1944.pl
Sunday, July 27, 11:00 PM–2:00 PM
Family Event: From Conspirators to Freedom Fighters. The Stories of Our Great-Grandparents
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
An outdoor meeting for families and children. Free admission.
Sunday, July 27, 6:00 PM
Holy Mass with Insurgents, Scouts, and Warsaw Residents
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Live broadcast on the Museum’s Facebook page. Free admission.
Monday, July 28, 5:00 PM
Outdoor Exhibition: Starba. The Photographer of Warsaw 1944
Galeria Przystanek, 19 Wilson Square
Opening reception. Free admission.
Wednesday, July 30, 9:00 AM
Jamboree Assembly for the 81st Anniversary of the Warsaw Rising
Liberator Hall, Warsaw Rising Museum
Wednesday, July 30, 11:00 AM
Meeting of Warsaw Rising Veterans with the President of Poland and the Mayor of Warsaw
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
State decorations to be awarded by the President of Poland. Admission by invitation for veterans and their families.
July 30 – August 1
Youth Jamboree: Their Paths, Our Ways
A jamboree for scouts from Poland and abroad, co-organized by the City of Warsaw, the Warsaw Rising Museum, and seven scouting organizations.
Held under the honorary patronage of the President of Poland.
More details at 1944.pl
Friday, August 1, 5:00 PM
W Hour Commemoration
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Live broadcast on the Museum’s Facebook page.
Friday, August 1, 5:00 PM
Freedom Unites
Community commemoration at various Warsaw Rising memorial sites throughout the city.
Friday, August 1, 8:30 PM
Community Singing Event: Varsovians Sing (Un)forbidden Songs
Piłsudski Square, Warsaw
An evening of singing songs from the Warsaw Rising with a choir and orchestra, conducted by Jan Stokłosa.
Broadcast on TVP1 and the Museum’s Facebook page.
Friday, August 1, midnight
Theatre Premiere: What Does It Mean to Be Happy?
Directed by Katarzyna Szyngiera
Warsaw Rising Museum
Admission by invitation only.
Sunday, August 3, 10:00 PM–8:00 PM
Outdoor Game: Labyrinth ’44. A Last Glance
An educational outdoor game with escape room elements.
More information at labirynt44.1944.pl
Registration opening soon at rejestracja.1944.pl
July 3–20
Urban Stage: Activities at various locations in Warsaw, including museums, puzzles, and a photo challenge.
August 3
Final Stage: Labyrinth ’44 at Hall B, MZA, 52 Włościańska Street
Sunday, August 3, 5:00 PM
Commemorative Bike Rally: Masa Powstańcza 2025
A bicycle ride along the Zaremba-Piorun Battalion trail.
Starting point: Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Registration opening soon at rejestracja.1944.pl
August 3–6, 8:30 PM
Theatre Performances: What Does It Mean to Be Happy?
Directed by Katarzyna Szyngiera
Warsaw Rising Museum
Tickets available at the Museum’s box office and online at bilety.1944.pl and eventim.pl
August 4–6, 9:30 PM–4:00 PM
Calligraphy Workshop: Writing Beautifully with Ewa Landowska
Library, Warsaw Rising Museum
Tickets available at bilety.1944.pl
Three separate workshop groups available.
Tuesday, August 5, 6:00 PM
Ceremony in Honor of the Civilian Victims of Wola
At the monument in memory of 50,000 inhabitants of Wola murdered during the Warsaw Rising
Leszno Street and Solidarności Avenue
Tuesday, August 5, 7:00 PM
March of Remembrance
A memorial march to the Warsaw Insurgents Cemetery in honor of the civilian victims of the Rising.
Starting point: Monument at Leszno Street and Solidarności Avenue
Names of the fallen will be read aloud during the march.
Tuesday, August 5, 8:30 PM
Closing Ceremony of the March of Remembrance
Warsaw Insurgents Park
Participants will light candles at the Monument to the Fallen Undefeated and view the “Keep Them in Memory” exhibition, dedicated to civilian victims of the Rising.
July 26 – August 3, 10:00 PM–6:00 PM
Information Center – 81st Anniversary of the Warsaw Rising
Building C, Warsaw Rising Museum, 79 Grzybowska Street
Phone: +48 22 376 68 34, +48 22 376 68 37, +48 22 539 79 36
We also recommend the downloadable Warsaw Uprising 1944. Battle for Poland exhibition of The Institute of National Remembrance.
The exhibition, prepared by the IPN’s National Education Office in Warsaw, presents basic information about the uprising in our capital in August and September 1944. Thanks to the intricate process of coloring black and white photographs by Mikołaj Kaczmarek, this is the first – full color – exhibition about the Warsaw Uprising. The photographs presented here come from the collections of, among others, the Warsaw Rising Museum, the Polish Press Agency, the KARTA Center, and private collections.
Baczyński, a romantic fighter for freedom
Polish Poetry Unites
Watch on our YouTube channel
Warsaw Uprising Memorial Day also reminds us of one of the heroes, Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, who was killed on the 3rd day of the Uprising in the center of Warsaw. During World War II, Baczyński actively participated in the Polish resistance movement. However, this did not prevent him from developing his passion for lyricism. He is one of the most important Polish poets of the 20th century; however, he is not widely known in the USA and is very difficult to translate. Regretfully, says Edward Hirsch. In the short documentary film, which follows Edward Hirsch’s introduction, an engineer, Anna Kurkowska-Mielczarek is featured, talking about her life in the context of Baczynski’s poem—“A Poet’s House”—a fragment of his poetic novellas called The Poet’s Wedding. Image: Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, reproduction by: Andrzej Szypowski/East News. Image source: Culture.pl.
A valuable source of information about the events of the Warsaw Uprising is a book by Miron Białoszewski, A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising. Tr., intro., and notes by Madeline G. Levine. New York: New York Review Books, 2015. Białoszewski published A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising in 1970, recounting, in fragmented, anti-heroic language, the civilian experience under German bombardment, challenging the Romantic narrative of the Uprising as it was generally conceived. To learn more about the author, we encourage you to listen to the Encounters with Polish Literature episode about Miron Białoszewski with Joanna Niżyńska, hosted by David A. Goldfarb.
“On August 1, 1944, Miron Białoszewski, later to gain renown as one of Poland’s most innovative poets, went out to run an errand for his mother and ran into history. With Soviet forces on the outskirts of Warsaw, the Polish capital revolted against five years of Nazi occupation, an uprising that began in a spirit of heroic optimism. Sixty-three days later, it came to a tragic end. The Nazis suppressed the insurgents ruthlessly, reducing Warsaw to rubble while slaughtering some 200,000 people, mostly through mass executions. The Red Army simply looked on.”—New York Review Books
Film Brave Bunch. Warsaw Uprising through Children’s Eyes
When the Warsaw Uprising started in 1944, thousands of children lived in the city. Here are the stories of those who survived. Hybrid documentary Brave Bunch tells the story of a heroic and tragic 63-day strugle to liberate Warsaw from Nazi German occupation during World War II from a perspective of children.
In Brave Bunch, a group of children run through the streets of modern-day Warsaw, the city their playground. One of them spies a discarded journal, and they are transported back to August 1944. As the children enter the Warsaw Uprising Museum, the exhibits soon step out of the past. Based on fact, with a sprinkling of magic realism and driven by the children’s curiosity, Brave Bunch. The Uprising through children’s eyes relates tender, often moving accounts of those who witnessed the uprising as children themselves, drawing a line between past and present with playful dexterity. Source: www.fajnaferajna.pl/en
Image: Explosion of a 600 mm caliber missile fired from the Karl-Mörser Gerät 040 mortar at the Prudential Insurance Company building at 9 Napoleona Square (now Powstańców Warszawy Square). In the foreground, there are ruins of buildings on Świętokrzyska Street. A shot from the tenement house at ul. 28 Kopernika St. towards the west, 28 August 1944, photo: Sylwester Braun ‘Kris’ / Warsaw Uprising Museum. Source: Culture.pl.
Lead image by Warsaw Rising Museum
