Aquila Polonica - Poland WW2

12/16/2025

"Prime Minister Donald Tusk is set to attend commemorations Monday marking the 80th anniversary of Poland’s postwar incorporation of its Western and Northern Territories.

"Panels will address the historical, cultural, and economic transformations of the territories Poland acquired after World War II. Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk is scheduled to deliver a lecture as part of the event organized by the Association of Polish Cities."

Learn how Poland became the country it is today at Polskie Radio:

Prime Minister Donald Tusk is set to attend commemorations Monday marking the 80th anniversary of Poland’s postwar incorporation of its Western and Northern Territories.

12/15/2025

"Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has approved a public-private project to revamp the Polish capital's historic Gwardia Hall, an iconic sports venue that played a central role in the rise of Polish boxing,

"Trzaskowski announced the plan at a news conference, saying the redevelopment is part of a broader effort to reshape downtown Warsaw.

"'It is a historic place that remembers the years of czarist rule, the tragedy of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and the historic victory Polish boxers won over the Soviets in 1953,' he said."

Some incredible history behind this location! Full details at Polskie Radio:

Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has approved a public-private project to revamp the Polish capital's historic Gwardia Hall, an iconic sports venue that played a central role in the rise of Polish boxing,

12/12/2025

"Army bomb-disposal teams were called to village in southeastern Poland after construction workers found more than 2,000 World War II artillery shells.

"Police were called to Jasionka, near the city of Rzeszów, on Tuesday morning when a construction crew halted operations after unearthing a suspicious object, believed to be an old shell.

"Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Magdalena Żuk said that the police secured the site and specialists confirmed that it was WWII-era unexploded ordnance."

A whole ammunition depot here! Very dangerous work to dispose of it all. Full story at TVP World:

What began as a single shell quickly escalated into one of the largest finds in years.

12/11/2025

"At 100, Chelmsford woman recounts service in Polish resistance under N**i occupation

"Born on Dec. 1, 1925 in Odrzykon, Stasia now lives in Chelmsford, and this week she celebrated her 100th birthday with more than two-dozen family and friends. She also sat down with The Sun to talk about her firsthand experience with events most only read about in history books."

What an incredible hero! Her life story so far is amazing, read about it at the Lowell Sun:

CHELMSFORD — When Stanislawa “Stasia” Krygowska Woltosz, nee Ferus, was a teenager in the southeastern Polish village of Odrzykon, she remembers seeing what she first believed to be military exerci…

12/10/2025

"Polish history enthusiasts have discovered a 2-kilo gold-and-silver Polish eagle hidden in the woods to avoid advancing German troops during a rout in 1939.

"The banner head (standard finial) was buried along with other regimental regalia as Polish troops retreated after taking heavy losses almost 86 years ago. It had been buried along with a sash from the regimental standard in the Starachowice Forest in south-central Poland."

An incredible find! Story at TVP World:

History buffs dug up a Polish regiment's treasured eagle emblem buried in 1939.

12/09/2025

"Friday marks a century since the death of Polish writer Władysław Reymont, whose novel 'The Peasants' earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1924.

"Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning novel The Peasants, published in instalments between 1904 and 1909, has been described by Penguin, its British publisher, as 'one of Poland's most engrossing twentieth-century epics.'"

A gant of Polish literature! His story at Polskie Radio:

Friday marks a century since the death of Polish writer Władysław Reymont, whose novel "The Peasants" earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1924.

12/08/2025

"A court in Warsaw has ruled that a former Auschwitz prisoner can seek financial compensation from a German publisher that used the term 'Polish extermination camp' to describe a German-N**i death camp in occupied Poland. However, it also found that he cannot request an apology for the error.

"The ruling comes as part of a long-running legal battle fought by Stanisław Zalewski (pictured above), a former member of the Polish underground resistance who is president of the Polish Association of Former Political Prisoners of N**i Prisons and Concentration Camps. He turned 100 in October."

Words matter! Full story at Notes From Poland:

Former Auschwitz prisoner can sue German publisher for writing “Polish death camp”, rules court Dec 1, 2025 | History, Law, Media Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work! Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independe...

12/05/2025

"Having weathered war, occupation, scandal, and hardship, Warsaw’s Grand Theater has ridden these challenges to emerge as a proud and lasting symbol of national identity—and tonight, the central role it has played in Polish culture stands to be honored with a gala marking its 200th anniversary.

Two centuries and still going! Read the full history of this center of culture at TVP World:

Warsaw’s Grand Theater celebrates its 200th anniversary this evening.

12/04/2025

"The central Polish city of Kalisz has marked the 86th anniversary of the first deportations of its Jewish residents during World War II with a ceremony that combined official speeches and the personal story of a young woman who escaped death by using Polish identity papers.

"'We have a moral, human and historical obligation to remind younger generations of these events, so that nobody ever forgets where hatred, contempt and dehumanisation lead,' Kulawinek said."

Poland Remembers! Full details at Polskie Radio:

12/03/2025

"A secret cache of WWII documents, including resistance papers, photographs and a mysterious diary, has been found hidden under floorboards at an apartment in Warsaw.

"Described by authorities as having “exceptional historical value” the discovery made during renovation work also includes documents produced by German High Command, clandestine training manuals and WWII-era Polish newspapers printed in Britain. "

What an incredible discovery! Story at TVP World:

The cache includes a diary, documents, photos and newspapers.

12/02/2025

"Germany has agreed to speed up the return of looted Polish cultural property, the two countries' leaders said after talks in Berlin on Monday.

"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the Federal Foreign Office would create a special working group to prepare further returns of Polish cultural goods."

This is great news as long as it results in tangible results! Full story at Polskie Radio:

12/01/2025

"Germany has agreed to return to Poland a collection of 73 documents dating from between the 13th and 15th centuries that were looted during World War Two.

"The Polish culture minister called the decision 'the most important and valuable return of stolen cultural heritage in modern Polish history'."

There are still many looted items left to recover, but a good step in the right direction. Full story at Notes From Poland:

Germany agrees to return medieval documents looted by the N**is to Poland Dec 1, 2025 | Culture, History Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work! Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation tha...