National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising

This is the newest national holiday in Poland

In October 2021 the Polish parliament approved the newest national holiday in the country’s public calendar. The National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising is celebrated on 27 December and marks the 1918-19 insurgency that freed Greater Poland (with capital Poznan) from German rule. It will still be a working day, though.

Recovering the greatness of Wielkopolska

The historical region of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska in Polish) coincides with the present-day Greater Poland Voivodeship. Historically referred to as “the cradle of Poland”, it has had a tumultuous fate over the centuries.

In recent history, it was under German rule when on 27 December 1918 the uprising started in Poznan driven by a speech of the famous diplomat and musician Ignacy Paderewski. The latter became Prime Minister of Poland in 1919.

Less than a month later – until mid-January – the insurgent forces had already seized control over most parts of the region, with Poznan officially freed on 6 January. Later the same year the territory almost in its entirety was formally recognised as belonging to the newly independent Polish state, in line with the Treaty of Versailles.

The victory was short-lived, however, as the German occupation of 1939 led to the region of Greater Poland returning to Nazi Germany and its population – subjected to the regime's atrocities. It was until the Red Army took over in 1945 that the Polish People’s Republic integrated it in full as the Poznan Voivodeship (province).

What is today Greater Poland Voivodeship – the second largest in the country in terms of area - was established in 1999 as part of the local government reform in the country.