Celebrations of the 74th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising in the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk

The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk celebrated the 74th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. On this occasion, the ceremony began at 5:00 PM. The outbreak of the uprising in Warsaw was set for the "W" Hour - August 1, 1944 at 5:00 PM. Despite the difficulties in arming the people ready to fight, on this day Warsaw began a fight for free Poland. On the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk paid homage to all the fallen Poles.

Alarm sirens sounded punctually at 5:00 PM. A one-minute, continuous signal was given to the "W" hour and the memory of the victims of the Warsaw Uprising. Next, the guests listened to the National Anthem performed by the Border Guard Maritime Unit Orchestra.

The gathered guests were welcomed by Dr. Tomasz Szturo, Deputy Director of the Museum of the Second World War:

"For those who know Poles, it is clear that the Warsaw Uprising was an expression of disagreement, objection to the diktat of contempt, the times of pervasive humiliation, roundups or executions. Because we, Poles, have a deeply rooted gene of pride, yet pride not understood as arrogance, but as a sense of dignity. Secondly, we have a very strong gene of freedom. And these two values triumphed on August 1, 1944 at the "W" hour.”

Next, the Deputy Governor of the Pomorskie Province, Mariusz Łuczyk, took the floor and addressed the audience in these words:

"Let us not forget the times when this youth was brought up. This is the result of the Second Polish Republic, which despite many inconveniences in which the generations grew up at that time - brought them up in the patriotic spirit and what is most important, in the love for the state. This act of tens of thousands of young people, not prepared in the same way as the invader – went down in our history, just like the Spartan fight for their free homeland. We are proud of it."

The ceremony was attended by the Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament (SEDE), Anna Fotyga, who addressed the audience in the following words:

"In the debate on the significance and importance of the Warsaw Uprising for succeeding generations struggling for Polish independence, it is worth quoting the views of one of the creators of the independent Poland, Marshal Józef Piłsudski, who believed that all fights for Polish independence should be regarded as models and examples. Every manifestation of this fight should be celebrated and commemorated."

The ceremony was also attended, among other guests, by a Member of the Polish Parliament, Kazimierz Smoliński and the Spokesperson of the Energa Group, Adam Kasprzak.