Polish leaders mark 87th anniversary of World War II as Berlin sets 2027 date for victim memorial

Commemorations at Westerplatte

Polish leaders gathered at the Westerplatte peninsula in Gdańsk at 4:45 on 1 September 2026 to mark the 87th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. The ceremony began with alarm sirens marking the exact time the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the Polish Military Transit Depot in 1939. Attendees included Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and Gdańsk Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz. Ceremonial proceedings included the singing of the national anthem, the raising of the Polish flag, the lighting of the Peace Flame, a 12-cannon salute, and a reading of the Westerplatte Message by scouts.

Tusk warns of modern European security threats

Prime Minister Tusk linked the historical lessons of 1939 to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, arguing that Western democracies must avoid repeating the appeasement policies of the 1938 Munich Agreement. He noted that six million Polish citizens died during the war out of 80 million total casualties across the world. Tusk stated that the upcoming autumn and winter could prove decisive for Ukrainian sovereignty and European security, adding that NATO cannot function merely as an agreement on paper. He also pointed to recent sabotage operations across Europe, referencing arson at a WB Electronics drone component factory in Skarżysko-Kamiennej on 31 August that caused at least 15 million PLN in damage.

Having in mind the 80 million victims of World War II, 6 million victims who were Polish citizens, having in mind the murder of almost all Jews in Europe by nazis gripped by madness, today we shout loudly from Westerplatte to the entire free world: be solidary, today we must help Ukraine survive.

Nawrocki demands German war reparations

President Nawrocki focused his address on historical anti-Polish attitudes in Germany and renewed demands for financial war reparations. Addressing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the German government, Nawrocki asserted that direct compensation should fund the modernization of Poland's armed forces and domestic defence manufacturing. He argued that genuine bilateral partnership requires financial accountability rather than symbolic declarations. During the morning event, Gdańsk Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz also addressed attendees, recalling the 85th anniversary of the nearly 900-day Siege of Leningrad and the extreme hardships endured by its population.

I appeal from here, from Westerplatte, to the German chancellor, to the German nation: let us settle the issue of reparations and compensation with historical justice in mind, but also with the future in mind.

Berlin memorial timeline and diplomatic reactions

In Germany, Minister of State for Culture and Media Wolfram Weimer announced on 1 September that construction of the Monument to Polish Victims of World War II in Berlin will begin in 2027. The memorial, mandated by the German Bundestag, will stand on the site of the former Kroll Opera House near the Federal Chancellery and the parliament building. A jury is scheduled to select the winning design in December 2026, following the installation of a temporary memorial stone in June 2025. Nawrocki criticized the current state of commemoration in Berlin during his speech, calling the existing stone inadequate.

Memory of the Polish victims of German aggression is a debt we owe to them and their descendants.