“We can say with confidence that looking at today’s audience, we are witnessing unmistakable heroes,” stated the Speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, addressing insurgents in Warsaw. He highlighted that the insurgents show us that “the result can differ from the outcome, that a defeat can carry the seed of victory.”
Thursday marks the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. A ceremony will be held near the Monument to the Polish Underground State and the Home Army on Wiejska Street in Warsaw, with participation from the Speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, and the Speaker of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.
The Marshal of the Sejm remarked that being in Warsaw makes it impossible to ignore a larger story than what appears on maps or in raw numbers. He emphasized that the city’s memory is a living thread connecting past and present.
Warsaw is defined by its people. The rebels who rose up represent a unique generation that demonstrates to others, in Warsaw and beyond, that there are moments when history is touched in a place where it was born. Their participation in the Warsaw Uprising redefined common language and perception, reshaping how reality is described.
– said Marshal Hołownia, addressing the insurgents.
“Losing can mean winning.”
He underscored that the rebels teach that outcomes can diverge from appearances, and that a defeat can carry the spark of a victory.
The Uprising’s defeat is now often viewed through a different lens, yet the narrative counters any doubt about who emerged as the true winner of that struggle.
– the marshal stressed.
He added that it is possible to lose yet still prevail. The uprising, he said, met a psychological need in the people, a force that drove action beyond strategic calculations.
You can debate politics or strategy, but on a personal level the impulse to fight was powerful and widely felt.
– Hołownia noted.
“Your fight isn’t over yet.”
We can clearly see today that those assembled are regarded as heroes
– he stated. He noted that the insurgents’ service did not end with the uprising’s conclusion. The fight continues in classrooms, in outreach to scouts and youth groups, at the Warsaw Uprising Museum, and in the books and interviews that tell the story to a global audience. The service endures, and the struggle continues in new forms.
– Hołownia emphasized.
As the autumn of life progressed, the Polish state and future generations called on veterans to keep the flame of courage alive. They answered with steadfast resolve, serving the homeland and sharing every lesson needed to understand and honor the past.
– added.
On August 1, 1944, at 17:00, the Warsaw Uprising began. It remains the largest armed underground operation in German-occupied Europe and the most significant independence effort in occupied Poland. Around 40–50 thousand insurgents joined the struggle in the capital, with plans for only a few days but a fight that extended beyond two months. Approximately 18,000 insurgents lost their lives, about 25,000 were wounded, and civilian casualties reached roughly 180,000. The city’s remaining inhabitants, about 500,000, were displaced.
For more context on the commemoration, readers may consult a detailed report on the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, including remarks from leaders and the events held in memory of the victims in Wola. This section reflects a broader effort to document the human cost and historical significance of the uprising.
[Citation: coverage of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, with statements from key officials and eyewitness accounts. Attribution: wPolityce]
Source: wPolityce