Warsaw came to a standstill on Friday at 5 p.m. — the so-called "W" hour — to mark the 82nd anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, with air-raid sirens and church bells sounding across the capital. Top officials including President Karol Nawrocki and Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski laid wreaths at the Gloria Victis monument, where a minute of silence, a military honour guard, and the national anthem preceded a prayer led by the armed forces' field bishop.
An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 fighters joined the uprising on Aug. 1, 1944; the 63-day battle left roughly 18,000 insurgents dead and 180,000 civilians killed, with half a million residents expelled from the ruined city.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola paid tribute to a 94-year-old veteran, calling him a "European hero." U.S. Ambassador Thomas Rose said President Trump and the American people honour the sacrifice of the Polish nation. Prime Minister Donald Tusk released a video message calling Warsaw "the only city in the world that stops for a minute every year." A memorial flame was lit to burn for 63 days.