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Explore Poland’s rich history in 2024, from the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising to the centennial celebrations of notable figures like Antoni Baraniak, Marek Hłasko, and Wincenty Witos. Immerse yourself in pivotal political, cultural, and societal events, honoring the legacy of these individuals and the nation’s accomplishments.
October
80 years ago, on October 2, 1944, after 63 days of fighting, representatives of the Home Army’s Command, Colonel Kazimierz Iranek-Osmecki “Jarecki” and Lieutenant Colonel Zygmunt Dobrowolski “Zyndram,” signed an agreement to cease hostilities in Warsaw at the headquarters of SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski in Ożarów.
100 years ago, on October 3, 1924, Count Władysław Zamoyski, a social activist, emigrant politician, founder of the Kórnik Works, founding member of the “Sokół” Gymnastic Society in Krakow, owner of Zakopane estates, including Morskie Oko, passed away. Thanks to his efforts, in 1902, an Austrian arbitration tribunal awarded the largest lake in the Tatras to the Polish side.
“In recognition of great merits and a life devoted entirely to the Polish Nation, which today also serves as a model of modern patriotic attitude and dedication to the common good, on the hundredth anniversary of the death of this outstanding Pole, the Senate of the Republic of Poland establishes the year 2024 as the Year of Władysław Zamoyski,” emphasized in a resolution adopted on September 7, 2023.
40 years ago, most likely on October 19, 1984, Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, the pastor of the working people and chaplain of “Solidarity,” was kidnapped and murdered by officers of the IV Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On October 24, the authorities announced that among the kidnappers were officers of the Security Service, and on October 27, the then head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Czesław Kiszczak, revealed three names: Piotrowski, Pękala, and Chmielewski. The information about the recovery of Father Jerzy’s body from the Vistula River near Włocławek appeared on October 30. Over 600,000 believers and nearly a thousand priests participated in the funeral on November 3, 1984. Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, the pastor of the working people, was beatified on June 6, 2010.
40 years ago, on October 28, 1974, Polish volleyball players won the World Championship title for the first time.