National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising in Poland Date in the current year: December 27, 2025

The history of the Greater Poland Uprising can be traced back to the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, when Poland lost its sovereignty and its territory was divided between Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Russia. The Greater Poland region became part of Prussia and, after the unification of Germany, of the German Empire.

During the Napoleonic Wars, it was part of the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw, but Germany regained control of the region in 1815. During the German rule, Poles living in Germany were subjected to Germanization, and their lands were confiscated for settlement by ethnic Germans (the so-called Ostsiedlung).

At the end of World War I, the colonial powers began to lose their influence. Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, which outlined the principles for peace in post-war Europe, included the creation of an independent Polish state on the “territories inhabited by indisputably Polish population”. The majority of Greater Poland’s population were Poles, who naturally hoped the region would join the new Polish state, while Germany did not want to let go of it.

The Greater Poland Uprising of 1918-1919 broke out on December 27, 1918, after the famous pianist, composer, and diplomat Ignacy Paderewski delivered a patriotic speech in Poznań. Most insurgents were members of the Polish Military Organization, who fought against the regular German army and irregular paramilitary units (Freikorps).

By mid-January 1919, the insurgents had gained control of most of the province with relatively few casualties. In February, Germany signed an armistice with the Entente, and fighting largely ceased, although occasional skirmishes continued until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Thanks to the success of the uprising, Greater Poland was eventually incorporated into the Second Polish Republic.

The celebration of the anniversary of the Greater Poland Uprising was initiated by a group of organizations and institutions, including the Wielkopolska Museum of Independence, the Institute of National Remembrance, the Society for the Remembrance of the Greater Poland Uprising of 1918-1919, the Kórnickie Foundation, the National Museum in Poznań, as well as local governments, museums, associations and institutions from Greater Poland and neighboring regions.

The initiative received overwhelming support, and in October 2021 the Sejm and then the Senate of the Republic of Poland passed a law declaring December 27 as the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising. President Andrzej Duda signed the law on November 23, and the first celebration took place on December 27, 2021.

The National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising is a state holiday, but it is usually a working day unless it falls on a weekend. The holiday is marked by commemorative ceremonies and educational events aimed at highlighting the importance of the Greater Poland Uprising for Poland’s sovereignty.