History redux – Memorial Plaque to Honour the Home Army Battalion “Gozdawa” unveiled

At high noon, a memorial plaque to honour the battles of the Home Army Partisan Battalion “Gozdawa” was unveiled on the wall of the Plac Zamkowy – Business with Heritage Office Building on Miodowa Street. The unveiling was unusually solemn. It was attended by the Warsaw Uprising “Gozdawa” veterans, Home Army combatants, representatives of state authorities with the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Wojciech Fałkowski and President of the Supreme Audit Office, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Rectors of military universities, representatives of the Polish Army Field Ordinariates, Gendarmerie, Police and Border Guard.

During the Warsaw Uprising, the land on which the office building is located, was the area of the battles fought by the Battalion. Prior to the construction of the office building, a commemorative plaque reading, “This place is sanctified by the blood of Polish patriots who died for the freedom of their homeland,” was located on the lawn. The new plaque, with identical inscription and appearance, fully accepted by the veterans, had been ready for a long time. The investor of the building Plac Zamkowy – Business with Heritage, Senatorska Investment Company, pledged to store it until the grand unveiling, the date of which was selected in accordance with the wishes of the combatants.

“The location where our building was built is a place where extraordinary events took place. In implementing this project, we could not allow the past to be forgotten. To remember history was nothing more but our duty,” said Maksymilian Marcinkowski – Chairman of the Board of Senatorska Investment.

The Battalion, named after Stefan Czarniecki or after the nickname “Gozdawa” of the battalion Commander Lucjan Giżyński, was a Home Army unit fighting in the Warsaw Uprising first in the Old Town first and in then in September in the Centre of the city. The Battalion was located between the Radosław Group fighters in Żoliborz district and “Róg” Group fighters in Krakowskie Przedmieście district. Senatorska Street was the site of particularly bloody battles fought by the “Gozdawa” soldiers blocking Teatralny Square and Miodowa Street. They fought in Blank’s Palace, church of the Canoness Sisters, “Krzysztof Brun et Son” Department store at the corner of Bielańska Street, Bank of Poland and Radziwiłł’s Palace on Bielańska Street and together with the soldiers of “Łukasiński” and “Chrobry I” Battalions on Leszno and Przejazd Streets.

The soldiers of “Gozdawa” are famous for participating in the only military parade held during the Uprising on Długa Street. The parade took place on 6 August, the anniversary of the freedom march by the legendary First Cadre Company which became the nucleus of the Polish Army.

On 31 August, “Gozdawa” soldiers made an unsuccessful attempt to break through to the Centre of the city. On 1 September they started evacuation through sewers from the Old Town to the northern part of the Centre, where they fought hard and bloody fights. By the time the Uprising capitulated, 60% of the soldiers were killed.