Poland commemorates 1863 uprising against Russia

Poland has marked the 161 anniversary of the start of its January Uprising against Russia's rule over the country in the 19th century. 

Photo:

X/Polish Sejm

The main ceremony took place at the Warsaw Citadel fortress on Monday, Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.

State officials, local leaders and residents paid tribute to the insurgents of 1863. 

Poland's Parliamentary Speaker Szymon Hołownia issued a letter to mark the occasion, which was read out to the participants.

He described the 1863 January Uprising as the "greatest national insurrection in our history," and a "grand expression of the nation's will to regain its state."

📌W stołecznych uroczystościach z okazji 161. rocznicy wybuchu #PowstanieStyczniowe w imieniu Prezydium Sejmu wziął udział wicemarszałek @krzysztofbosak.#CytadelaWarszawska #BramaStraceń #PowstanieStyczniowe1863🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/LQrCIouGXo

— Sejm RP🇵🇱 (@KancelariaSejmu) January 22, 2024

The rebellion saw a 6,000-strong Polish force armed with revolvers and hunting weapons rise against some 100,000 tsarist troops, the IAR news agency noted.

The rebels also included many women who acted as couriers and took part in the uprising's operations, said Beata Michalec from Warsaw's  Independence Museum. 

The ranks of the Polish insurgents eventually swelled to 200,000 and the rebellion lasted until October 1864, comprising over 1,200 battles, before being put down by Russia, the IAR news agency reported.

#OTD in 1863, the #JanuaryUprising broke out. It was an armed struggle for independence aimed to put an end to the Russian rule.

The fight against the common enemy engaged all parts of society. Around 200,000 insurgents fought at various stages of the struggle. The uprising… pic.twitter.com/0bpJlJopxB

— Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (@PremierRP_en) January 22, 2024

Source: IAR, Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, Institute for National Remembrance IPN