WARSAW, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Polish parliament passed on Wednesday a resolution in the memory of the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising, kicking off a week-long series of events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of this major event in Polish history.
On Aug. 1, 1944, the Polish underground resistance, led by the Polish Home Army, began a major military operation to liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation. The uprising, which lasted 63 days, was the largest military effort of any European resistance against Nazi Germany.
Up to 50,000 people took part in the uprising, approximately 18,000 of them were killed and another 25,000 wounded. Between 150,000 and 200,000 civilians were killed.
Every year, Warsaw commemorates the event, which is one of the most important moments in the history of Poland. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the event, celebrations are ample.
"The Warsaw Uprising has become a symbol of courage and victimhood of the Poles, who were fighting for freedom all alone," wrote the resolution passed by the Polish Sejm (the lower house of the Parliament) on Wednesday.
"The Sejm pays the highest tribute and expresses its respect for all the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising, both soldiers fighting on the barricades and inhabitants of the capital, who lost their lives during the conflict," the text said.
On Wednesday morning, mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Warsaw to uprising participant, doctor Halina Jedrzejewska.
In the evening, a religious mass is scheduled to take place nearby the monument of the Warsaw Uprising in the capital's Kraskinski square, followed by reading out uprising heroes' names and a concert.
On Thursday, commemoration events continue -- including the yearly siren call at 17:00 p.m in the afternoon, when all inhabitants of Warsaw and those passing through stop for a minute from whatever they are doing and hold a moment of silence to commemorate the heroes of the uprising.
