Poland Marks Anniversary of 1863 Uprising Against Russia

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https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7784/Ar ... nst-Russia

Poland marks anniversary of 1863 uprising against Russia
Polish Radio 23.01.2020 07:30

Officials in Poland have paid tribute to the heroes of the country’s 1863 January Uprising against Russian rule.
A commemorative event in Warsaw on Wednesday evening to mark the 157th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1863 January Uprising against Russian rule.Photo: PAP/Wojciech Olkuśnik (See source for photo)
The ceremonies in Warsaw on Wednesday evening marked the 157th anniversary of the outbreak of the revolt, which was the largest Polish national uprising in the 19th century. As part of the commemorations, officials laid flowers at the Warsaw Citadel, a 19th-century fortress in the Polish capital where many Poles were imprisoned and executed after the failed insurrection.

The January Uprising was a “symbol of patriotism” and an act of courage in which Polish fighters “rose against Europe's mightiest army,” Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said in a letter that was read during the ceremonies. He added that the revolt, though unsuccessful, paved the way for the country’s hard-won sovereignty in 1918. The January Uprising broke out on January 22, 1863 when a provisional national government issued a manifesto in which it appealed to all Poles to take up arms against czarist Russia.

The insurgency became the largest and longest of Poland's armed struggles for independence during the 19th century. It comprised more than 1,200 battles and skirmishes fought by some 200,000 insurgents.
Over 30,000 insurgents were killed during the bloody one-year-long struggle and some 40,000 were deported to Russia’s remote Siberia region.

Poland ultimately regained independence on November 11, 1918, the day World War I ended, after 123 years of being partitioned by Russia, Austria and Prussia.
(gs)
Source: PAP