Warsaw Uprising Memorial Day in Poland Date in the current year: August 1, 2024

The Warsaw Uprising was a major operation of the Polish resistance Home Army during World War II. It began on August 1, 1944 and lasted for 2 months and 1 day. It was timed to coincide with the approaching of the Soviet Union's Red Army, that would support the Polish movement. However, the advance of the Red Army stopped, and the Polish resistance had to fight against Nazi Germany on its own with almost no support from outside.

The uprising ended on October 2 with the defeat of Polish resistance. 85% of Warsaw was destroyed. The exact number of casualties is unknown, however, it's estimated that about 16,000 members of the Polish resistance were killed, about 200,000 civilians died mostly from mass executions.

The Warsaw Uprising is a national symbol of courage and determination. In 2009 then-President of Poland Lech Kaczyński initiated establishment of Warsaw Uprising Memorial Day. His initiative was supported by the Senate of Poland. The first observation of this memorial day took place on August 1, 2010.