Events have begun in Poland to mark the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Rising against Nazi Germany, which broke out on 1 August, 1944.
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Joanna Najfeld
The Warsaw City Council is to hold a special session, a mass will be held at the foot of the Warsaw Rising Monument and a concert is scheduled in the Warsaw Rising Museum in tribute to the tens of thousands of people who perished in street fighting and Nazi reprisals.
Many commemorative events are a spontaneous initiative of young people. They include a graffiti competition on the theme of the 1944 Rising on the walls of one of Warsaw’s football stadiums.
The Warsaw Rising lasted sixty three days. It resulted in the death of some 18,000 insurgents and 200,000 civilians. Around 3,500 veterans of the fighting are still alive. The goal of the Rising was also to prevent the installation of a pro-Soviet administration after the liberation of Warsaw. (mk/mmj)
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