On 27th December each year, Poland celebrates one of its newest national holidays, the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising. Yet this commemoration honours one of the oldest wounds in Polish history: the systematic erasure of Polish identity under Prussian and German rule, and the dramatic 1918-1919 armed rebellion that finally ended 125 years of foreign domination in the Greater Poland region.
First celebrated on 27th December, 2021, this national holiday was established with the Institute of National Remembrance among its initiators, recognising an uprising that stands apart in Polish history as a rare military victory, a successful insurrection that achieved its goals and helped restore Polish independence after more than a century of partition.
The Long Shadow of Partition
To understand the Greater Poland Uprising, one must first understand the tragedy that preceded it. The region had been part of the Kingdom of Poland and then the Polish-Lithuanian-Commonwealth before the 1793 Second Partition of Poland when it was annexed by the German Kingdom of Prussia. After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Poland ceased to exist as an independent state, wiped from the map of Europe by its three powerful neighbours: Prussia, Russia, and Austria.
For 123 years, Poland existed only in the hearts and memories of its people. The lands of Greater Poland, including the historic city of Poznan, fell under Prussian and later, German control. Under German rule, Poles faced systematic discrimination and oppression, subjected to Germanisation and land confiscations to make way for German colonisation.
The occupiers employed every tool at their disposal to erase Polish identity. The Polish language was banned from schools and official use. Polish place names were replaced with German ones. Polish landowners faced systematic expropriation as German settlers were brought in to colonise the region. Cultural institutions were suppressed, and any expression of Polish nationalism was met with harsh punishment. The message was clear: Poland was to be forgotten, its people assimilated or marginalised into irrelevance.
Yet the people of Greater Poland refused to disappear.
Organic Work: Fighting Without Fighting
After failed uprisings in the 19th century, Polish leaders in Greater Poland adopted a different strategy, organic work combined with readiness to assume armed struggle when the right circumstances appeared. Rather than launching doomed rebellions, they would build Polish civil society within the constraints of German law, creating “competitive structures” that kept Polish identity alive while preparing for an eventual opportunity for independence.
According to historian Zbigniew Pilarczyk, “There were very well-educated social groups. All patriotic work was aimed at all groups, not only at the chosen ones, as it was in the previous uprisings. The issue of independence was the issue of the entire society, everyone could join, acting, for instance, in reading rooms or in people’s banks, singing or gymnastic societies”.
This approach proved remarkably effective. Poles established reading rooms where Polish literature and history were preserved and taught. They created credit unions and banks that kept Polish economic power in Polish hands. Cultural organisations like the Polish Gymnastic Society “Sokół” provided both physical training and nationalist education. Every legal avenue for maintaining Polish identity was exploited, creating a shadow society ready to emerge when the moment arrived.
The strategy required extraordinary patience and discipline. The struggle would come for sure, but no one knew if the right circumstances would appear in ten, fifty, or a hundred years. During that time, they had to resist Germanisation while building the institutions, education, and social cohesion that would enable a successful bid for independence when the opportunity finally came.
The Moment Arrives
That moment came with World War I. The war pitted Poland’s three occupiers against each other, with Germany and Austria fighting against Russia. At the end of World War I, US President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the idea of national self-determination were met with opposition from European powers standing to lose influence or territory, such as Germany. But the principle had been articulated, and oppressed peoples throughout Europe seized upon it.
After Wilhelm II’s abdication on 9th November 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire, Poles hoping for a sovereign Poland started serious preparations for an uprising. The monarchy was replaced by the Weimar Republic, and Germany descended into revolutionary chaos. The German authorities in Greater Poland were weakened, their control uncertain.
Polish leaders established the Supreme People’s Council (Naczelna Rada Ludowa, or NRL) on 6th December 1918, creating a parallel Polish authority structure. Three centres of power functioned in parallel: the Prussian administration working on a continuous basis, the soldier and worker councils, and the Polish people’s councils. The stage was set for confrontation.
The Spark: Paderewski’s Speech
The uprising was initially planned for early January 1919, coordinated with a hoped-for landing of Polish forces from France. But history had other plans. On 26th December 1918, the famous pianist and political activist Ignacy Paderewski stopped in Poznań on his way to Warsaw, despite the protest of the German authorities.
Paderewski was not just any musician. He was an international celebrity, having performed for royalty and presidents across Europe and America. He had become one of Poland’s most effective advocates for independence, using his fame to promote the Polish cause at the highest levels of Allied leadership. His visit to Poznań electrified the Polish population.
Decorated houses and crowds in the streets greeted him. Paderewski gave a speech to his compatriots, leading to the outbreak of military action. The speech itself was not a direct call to arms; Paderewski knew the diplomatic complications that could arise. But his words about Polish sovereignty and self-determination, delivered to an audience already prepared for action, proved catalytic.
27th December 1918: The Uprising Begins
The uprising broke out on 27th December 1918, in Poznań, after Paderewski’s patriotic speech, with 2,000 men serving in the Guard and Security Service rising up in the city. The date related to the visit of Paderewski, who had come to Poznań the day before. Poles gathered in front of Bazar Hotel, where this outstanding pianist and statesman stayed. The invader organised a counter march, and its participants destroyed the headquarters of Supreme People’s Council Commissariat, legal Polish state authority.
The first shot was fired before 5:00 p.m. the uprising broke out. A shot fired by German soldiers into the crowd of Polish demonstrators triggered fights in Poznań.
The insurrectionist forces consisted of members of the Polish Military Organisation, who formed the Straż Obywatelska (Citizen’s Guard), later renamed Straż Ludowa (People’s Guard), which included many volunteers, mainly veterans of World War I. These were not untrained civilians but experienced soldiers who had fought in the Great War and now turned their skills toward liberating their homeland.
The first contingent to reach the Bazar Hotel, from where the uprising was initiated, was a 100-strong force from Wildecka Kompania Straży Ludowej (Wilda’s People’s Guard) led by Antoni Wysocki.
The Campaign: City by City, Town by Town
What followed was a remarkably successful military campaign. Fighting started in multiple towns: Szamotuły, Środa Wielkopolska, Pniewy, Opalenica, Buk, Trzemeszno, Września, and Gniezno were captured. Poles in Poznań captured the main train station, the main post office, and part of city fortifications.
The uprising spread like wildfire across Greater Poland. On 29th December 1918, Polish forces captured Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Kłecko, Kórnik, Wielichowo, Gostyń, Witkowo, and other towns. The Supreme People’s Council promoted Captain Stanisław Taczak to temporary commander-in-chief of the uprising, also promoting him to the rank of major.
The German forces, weakened by revolutionary chaos at home and demoralised by their defeat in World War I, found themselves unable to mount effective resistance. Peace talks between the insurgents and German authorities failed, with the Germans refusing to take responsibility for the hostilities of 27th December. In Poznań, Polish forces compelled the German 6th Regiment of Grenadiers to leave their barracks and eventually the city.
By 6th January 1919, Poznań was freed. The insurgents took over Ławica airport, thanks to which Poland gained access to several hundred airplanes. This was a crucial tactical victory; control of an airport and aircraft gave the Polish forces a significant military advantage.
By mid-January, the larger part of Greater Poland was freed. Polish forces demonstrated remarkable organisation and effectiveness, capturing key cities and infrastructure while maintaining discipline and coordination across the region.
The German Response and International Intervention
At the end of January, Germans started their offensive on the northern front. In mid-February, they moved their central command headquarters to Kołobrzeg, which was supposed to indicate offensive plans against Greater Poland. The Germans were gathering forces for a counteroffensive, and the Poles knew they could not hold out indefinitely without international support.
Fortunately for the Polish cause, the Entente powers intervened. Entente politicians came to the Poles’ aid. On 16th February, in Trier, Germany, the Entente countries signed a truce that acknowledged insurgents’ gains. The Greater Poland front was acknowledged as the war front of the Allied countries.
Marshal Ferdinand Foch forced a ceasefire on the Germans with his resolute attitude. The Germans did not have enough strength to oppose the Entente states, which supported the insurgents by extending the terms of the truce of 11th November 1918, to the Greater Poland region as well.
This international recognition was crucial. The uprising was no longer viewed as an internal German affair but as a legitimate military front in the broader conflict between Germany and the Allied powers.
Victory and Its Cost
The Greater Poland Uprising lasted exactly 52 days. The people of Greater Poland fought an armed struggle to join Poland, regain independence, and liberate themselves from the Prussian partition. Over 2,000 insurgents were killed and over 6,000 were wounded.
The cost was high, but the victory was real. The Greater Poland Uprising came to a formal conclusion with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28th June 1919. This treaty officially recognised the reborn Polish state, which encompassed the Greater Poland region among other territories.
As historian Zbigniew Pilarczyk noted, “The effects of the uprising are first and foremost the credit of insurgents, and not diplomatic efforts. If it had not been for the gains from the first weeks of the uprising, the truce in Trier would have regarded a completely different area”. The military facts on the ground, the cities captured, the territory controlled, gave Polish diplomats the leverage they needed at Versailles.
Fighting, however, stretched to March 1920, when Polish armed forces finally pushed out residual Prussian occupying soldiers and thus eliminated the Greater Poland front. This was the first time that this ethnically Polish land returned home after it was invaded and annexed by the Prussian Kingdom in 1793. After 127 years of foreign occupation, Greater Poland was Polish again.
Why This Uprising Succeeded
The Greater Poland Uprising is considered one of the few successful Polish uprisings, next to the 3rd Silesian Uprising of 1921. Polish history is filled with noble but failed uprisings, the November Uprising of 1830, the January Uprising of 1863, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. These brave efforts ended in defeat, massacre, and increased oppression. What made the Greater Poland Uprising different?
The uprising in Greater Poland in 1918-1919 was organised in a very reasonable manner, unlike many Polish uprisings that were spontaneous, occurring at the wrong moment in time, poorly prepared, and with emotions prevailing over reason and good organisation.
Several factors contributed to its success:
Decades of Preparation: The organic work of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had created a well-educated, organized Polish society with functioning institutions ready to assume power.
Experienced Leadership: Many insurgents were World War I veterans with modern military training and combat experience.
Favourable International Context: The defeat of Germany, Wilson’s Fourteen Points, and Allied support created conditions where Polish independence was not only possible but aligned with the interests of the victorious powers.
German Weakness: Revolutionary chaos in Germany, war exhaustion, and the threat of Entente intervention prevented an effective German military response.
Popular Support: The uprising enjoyed near-universal support among the Polish population of Greater Poland, providing recruits, intelligence, supplies, and moral authority.
Strategic Timing: Although the exact date was accidental, the uprising occurred at precisely the right moment, after German defeat but before any settlement that might have locked in German control of Greater Poland.
Establishing the National Holiday
For over a century after the uprising, 27th December was remembered by Poles but not officially commemorated as a national holiday. This changed in 2021. The new holiday celebrates the anniversary of the largest uprising for independence in the partitioned territories of Poland. The victorious uprising broke out on 27th December 1918, in Poznań.
The National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising was initiated by President Andrzej Duda and passed into law by the Polish Parliament. President Duda signed the Bill on 23rd November 2021, in Hotel Bazar, where exactly 103 years earlier, on 26th December 1918, Ignacy Jan Paderewski delivered his epochal speech, which led to the outbreak of the Insurrection.
The location was deliberately symbolic, signing the law in the very hotel where Paderewski stayed, at the epicentre of the events that sparked the uprising, connected past and present in a powerful gesture.
How Poland Celebrates 27th December
President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda took part in the celebrations of the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising in Poznań in front of the uprising’s monument on 27th December 2021, setting the pattern for future observances.
The celebrations centre on Poznań, the capital of Greater Poland and the city where the uprising began. All throughout the day in Poznań, various events are held to mark one of the few select armed insurrections in Polish history, which ended in triumph.
Events typically include:
Official Ceremonies: The President of Poland attends commemorations at the monument to the Greater Poland Uprising in Poznań, laying wreaths and delivering speeches honouring the insurgents.
Military Honours: Polish Armed Forces participate in ceremonies, with honour guards, military bands, and displays connecting today’s military to the tradition of the 1918 insurgents.
Concerts and Cultural Events: Special evening concerts such as “Glory and Victory 1918-1919” are among the main attractions, featuring patriotic music and performances celebrating the uprising’s legacy.
Educational Programs: The Institute of National Remembrance prepares many events, such as nationwide exhibitions, concerts, press supplements, and ceremonies commemorating the heroes of the uprising.
Church Services: Religious ceremonies honour the fallen insurgents and give thanks for Poland’s independence, reflecting the deep connection between Polish national identity and Catholic faith.
Historical Re-enactments: Some communities stage re-enactments of key moments from the uprising, bringing history to life for younger generations.
School Programs: Polish schools hold special lessons about the uprising, ensuring that students understand this crucial moment in their national history.
The holiday holds particular significance in Greater Poland itself, where the uprising is a source of intense regional pride. Cities and towns throughout the region, Poznan, Gniezno, Kalisz, and dozens of smaller communities, mark the day with local ceremonies at monuments to fallen insurgents.
The Broader Meaning
The National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising serves multiple purposes in contemporary Poland. It celebrates military victory, a rarity in Polish history and therefore precious. It honours the insurgents who risked and often gave their lives for independence. It recognises the unique character and contribution of the Greater Poland region to Polish independence.
But most importantly, it commemorates the triumph of patient, organized, community-based resistance over systematic oppression. The decades of organic work, the preservation of Polish identity through cultural and educational institutions, the careful preparation for an opportunity that might never come, these less dramatic forms of resistance were what made victory possible when the moment arrived.
In an era when Poland again faces questions about its place in Europe, its relationship with powerful neighbours, and the preservation of its national identity within larger political structures, the lessons of the Greater Poland Uprising remain relevant. The uprising demonstrated that national identity could survive even the most systematic attempts at erasure, that patient preparation can bear fruit across generations, and that a well-organised people seizing the right moment can achieve what seemed impossible.
The Battle of Gniezno in December 1918 saw Polish forces capture the town, a symbolically important location due to its historical significance as the first capital of Poland. This detail captures something essential about the uprising: it was not just about seizing territory but about reclaiming Polish history, identity, and soul.
A Living Legacy
The Greater Poland Uprising of 1918-1919 remains one of the most remarkable episodes in Polish history. Against the odds, a partitioned nation preserved its identity for over a century, then seized a fleeting opportunity to reclaim its independence through successful armed struggle. The establishment of 27th December as a national holiday ensures that this achievement, and the sacrifices it required, will not be forgotten.
Every 27th December, as Poles gather at monuments, attend concerts, and participate in ceremonies across Greater Poland and throughout the country, they honour not just a military victory but a testament to the power of cultural resistance, patient organization, and the refusal to accept that a nation can be erased from history. The uprising proved that Poland would not simply fade away into the German or Russian empires, that Polish identity was not something that could be administratively eliminated, and that when the moment came, Poles were ready to fight and win their freedom.
In the words carved on monuments throughout Greater Poland: “They won victory for the homeland.” And on 27th December each year, Poland remembers and celebrates that victory.
Leave a Reply