Today, 1 August 2023, we are in Warsaw. At 17:00 hours the church bells started tolling along with what sounded like an air raid siren. Looking down on the street from our apartment I could see people on the sidewalks or by their sidewalk café tables standing at attention for one full minute – in the rain.

It is Warsaw Rising Remembrance Day.

On this day in history, the Warsaw Uprising began in 1944. It was an effort by the Poles to rid themselves of the Germans and to save their city and country from foreign domination. The revolt was focused on the city of Warsaw and it involved Polish guerrillas taking on the might of the Germans. The Warsaw Uprising was one of the most brutal examples of urban warfare in the history of WW II.

The German’s reaction to the uprising was incredibly vicious. Hitler ordered the SS to kill civilians, young and old, women, and children. By the end of the uprising, as many as 180,000 civilians were killed in and around Warsaw. On one day, alone the Nazis murdered tens of thousands of civilians.

https://historycollection.com/day-history-warsaw-rising-began-1944/

The armed struggle was planned to last 48 hours, but they were successful enough to fight 63 days. In revenge, Hitler ordered the entire city be razed to the ground. About 85% of the city was destroyed, including the historic Old Town and the Royal Castle.

Reconstructed Old Town represents examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period and in 1980 was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today we walked through the Stare Miasto – Warsaw’s Old City.

Warsaw is Poland’s capital and largest city with a population of more than 6 million in the greater metropolitan area. It is the 6th largest city in the European Union.

We’re just getting started on slow travel in Poland and have much more to share with you – including Milk Bars!