The Polish flag was hoisted in front of the City Hall on August 1st for the first time in Berlin’s history.
This event marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, with Berlin paying tribute to the insurgents and residents of Warsaw. Although there were no sirens this year, a minute of silence, resistance poetry, and the Polish flag commemorated “W Hour” at 5 PM in the German capital.
At 5 PM, while Berlin’s bustling streets continued as usual, a significant moment unfolded in front of the Red City Hall, Berlin’s government headquarters. The Polish flag waved proudly as a trumpet replaced the traditional siren, followed by a minute of silence.
#63Tage Project
In honor of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, the Polish-German House (DPH) and the German Institute for Polish Affairs (DPI) launched the #63Tage (63 days) project. Together with numerous Polish-German institutions and partners, they prepared a series of events for the Berlin audience, with a comprehensive program on the Warsaw Uprising. From July to October, Berliners can learn more about the dramatic events of 1944, when Warsaw residents rose against the German occupier. The project includes exhibitions, readings, discussions, films, educational tours, and art projects. As Warsaw is a partner city of Berlin, posters featuring poems by Anna Świrszczyńska, who worked as a nurse during the uprising, will be displayed. Her experiences, captured in her poems, were translated into German by Peter Oliver Loew and recently published by Secession Verlag in Berlin.