Poland marks centenary of uprising against Germans
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
27.12.2018 15:52
Poland’s top officials on Thursday attended ceremonies to mark the 100th anniversary of the Greater Poland Uprising against German rule in the west of the country.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks in the western city of Poznań on Thursday. Photo: PAP/Marek Zakrzewski
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki laid a wreath at the grave of one of the 1918 insurgency’s leaders, Gen. Stanisław Taczak, and unveiled a commemorative plaque in the city of Poznań.
He said in a speech that the uprising “laid the foundations for a strong Poland.”
The insurgency erupted on December 27, 1918, after the region's German authorities opposed a visit to Poznań by Polish pianist and independence activist Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
The insurgents demanded the release of Prussian-occupied Polish land as the country regained its independence after 123 years of foreign rule.
Fighting continued throughout the Greater Poland region until January 1919.
The Greater Poland Uprising was one of just a few Polish insurgencies that ended in victory for the country.
(tf/gs)