August 1, 1944
82th Anniversary of Warsaw Uprising
This year we are commemorating the 82th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. Join the Poles at 5 PM CET/11 AM ET for one minute of silence. “W” Hour commemorates 5:00 PM on August 1, 1944—the moment when the Warsaw Rising began in German-occupied Warsaw as part of Operation Tempest, the nationwide military operation of the Polish resistance.
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.
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.
Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 9:00 PM
BŁAŻEJ KRÓL & Guests: Concert & Album Premiere
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Tickets: bilety.1944.pl • eventim.pl • Museum ticket office
Live broadcast on TVN24 and the Warsaw Rising Museum’s social media channels
July 25 – August 7, 2026
“Remembrance Caught on Camera”: The Eugeniusz Lokajski Photography Competition
The 8th edition of the photography competition for the best images documenting the Warsaw Rising anniversary commemorations.
Submit photos: foto@1944.pl
Competition rules: 1944.pl
Sunday, July 26, 2026 • 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
“It Began Just Around the Corner”: The Rising in Warsaw’s Districts
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Outdoor family event with activities for children.
Free admission
Sunday, July 26, 2026 • 6:00 PM
Holy Mass for Insurgents, Scouts & Warsaw Residents
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Live broadcast on the Warsaw Rising Museum’s social media channels
Monday, July 27, 2026 • 6:00 PM
“The War Photographers: 36 Frames” – Book Premiere
Elektrownia Powiśle
Premiere of a new publication dedicated to war correspondents.
Admission by invitation only
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 • 7:00 PM
“WEAVE: Can a Dress Be a Uniform?” – Exhibition Opening
Liberator Hall, Warsaw Rising Museum
Opening of a temporary exhibition exploring how war transformed everyday clothing in occupied Warsaw.
Admission by invitation only
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 • 7:00 PM
Opening Roll Call: Scouting Jamboree Marking the 82nd Anniversary of the Warsaw Rising
Courtyard, Warsaw Rising Museum
July 29 – August 2, 2026
“Memory Begins Within You”: Scouting Jamboree Marking the 82nd Anniversary of the Warsaw Rising
Jamboree for scouts from Poland and abroad, co-organized by the City of Warsaw, the Warsaw Rising Museum, and eight scouting organizations under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland.
Details: 1944.pl
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • 11:00 AM
Warsaw Rising Insurgents’ Reception with the President of the Republic of Poland and the Mayor of Warsaw
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Awarding of state decorations by the President of the Republic of Poland. Admission by invitation only for Insurgents and their families.
Live broadcast on the Warsaw Rising Museum’s social media channels
Friday, July 31, 2026 • 5:00 PM
“The War Photographers: 36 Frames” – Outdoor Exhibition Opening
Open-Air Gallery, Royal Łazienki Museum, Ujazdowskie Avenue, Warsaw
Free admission
Saturday, August 1, 2026 • 5:00 PM
“W” Hour
Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
Live broadcast on the Warsaw Rising Museum’s social media channels
Saturday, August 1, 2026 • 5:00 PM
“Freedom Unites” (“Wolność łączy”)
Warsaw Rising memorial sites across Warsaw
Community commemorations throughout the city.
Saturday, August 1, 2026 • 8:30 PM
“Varsovians Sing (Un)Forbidden Songs” (“Warszawiacy śpiewają (nie)zakazane piosenki”)
Piłsudski Square, Warsaw
Communal singing of Warsaw Rising songs with orchestra and choir conducted by Bartłomiej Wąsik.
Broadcast on TVP1 and the Warsaw Rising Museum’s social media channels
Saturday, August 1, 2026 • 12:00 AM (Midnight)
Premiere of the Play “It Wasn’t Hot” (“Było niegorąco”)
Liberator Hall, Warsaw Rising Museum
Directed by Aleksandra Bielewicz.
Admission by invitation only
Sunday, August 2, 2026 • 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
“Labyrinth ’44”: An (Un)Common City
Building B, Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe (MZA), 52 Włościańska Street, Warsaw
A family outdoor game combining educational riddles with escape room challenges.
Details: labirynt44.1944.pl
Registration: rejestracja.1944.pl
July 2 – 19, 2026
Urban Stage
Various locations across Warsaw
Museums, riddles, and photographic challenges.
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Main Event: “Labyrinth ’44”
Building B, Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe (MZA), 52 Włościańska Street, Warsaw
Sunday, August 2, 2026 • 5:00 PM
Warsaw Rising Commemorative Bike Ride (Masa Powstańcza)
Starting point: Freedom Park, Warsaw Rising Museum
A mass bicycle ride along the Insurgency’s battle sites in the Ochota and Mokotów districts.
Registration: rejestracja.1944.pl
August 3 – 6, 2026 • 8:00 PM
Performances of the Play “It Wasn’t Hot” (“Było niegorąco”)
Liberator Hall, Warsaw Rising Museum
Directed by Aleksandra Bielewicz.
Tickets: bilety.1944.pl • eventim.pl • Museum ticket office
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • 6:00 PM
Ceremony Honoring the Wola District’s Civilian Population
Monument “In Memory of the 50,000 Inhabitants of Wola Murdered by the Germans during the Warsaw Rising 1944,” Memorial at the junction of Leszno Street and Solidarności Avenue, Warsaw
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • 7:00 PM
March of Remembrance
Starting point: Memorial at the junction of Leszno Street and Solidarności Avenue, Warsaw
A procession toward the Warsaw Insurgents’ Cemetery commemorating Warsaw residents who perished during the Warsaw Rising.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • 8:30 PM
Conclusion of the March of Remembrance
Warsaw Insurgents Park (Park Powstańców Warszawy)
Lighting of candles at the Monument to the Fallen Undefeated and the exhibition “Preserve Their Memory” (“Zachowajmy ich w pamięci”) dedicated to the civilian victims of the Warsaw Rising.
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
