Every year on December 27th, Poland takes a moment to honour the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising—a powerful reminder of a historic fight for freedom that changed the nation forever.
The Spark of Defiance: How the Greater Poland Uprising Began and Gained Global Recognition
It all began 105 years ago in 1918, in the city of Poznań. A German soldier fired into a crowd of Polish demonstrators, and that act of violence lit the spark for the Greater Poland Uprising. What followed was a bold and determined push by Polish insurgents to reclaim their homeland from German control.
In just a few weeks, by mid-January 1919, the insurgents had liberated most of the Greater Poland region. Their victory wasn’t just a local triumph; it was recognized internationally. The truce in Trewir officially acknowledged the uprising as part of the Allied efforts during World War I, giving it legitimacy on the global stage.
From Versailles to National Recognition: Cementing the Legacy of the Greater Poland Uprising
The final piece of the puzzle came with the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919. This treaty guaranteed that nearly the entire Greater Poland region would return to Poland, marking a huge milestone in the country’s journey to reclaim its independence and identity.
Even though the uprising has always been an important chapter in Polish history, it wasn’t officially commemorated as a national holiday until recently. In 2021, President Andrzej Duda signed a law to establish the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising, making this year only the second official celebration.