This is the English version of an article first published in Polish: read the Polish original. It refers to source material: wilanow.um.warszawa.pl. The text is our own commentary, not a translation or copy of that source.
Kolegiata św. Anny, the parish church on the square by Aleje Rzeczypospolitej, is easy to pass without a second look most days. On 1 August, at the symbolic Hour W, it becomes the centre of the district's memory, just as it does every year.
According to wilanow.um.warszawa.pl, the programme for the 82nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising in Wilanów runs across two days and two parts of the district. On 1 August at 16:00 a Holy Mass for the Insurgents will be held at Kolegiata św. Anny (ul. Kolegiacka 1). At 17:00 a patriotic ceremony with a moment of shared reflection takes place at the insurgent quarter in the cemetery on ul. Wiertnicza. At 19:30 the square by the church hosts "Wilanów śpiewa piosenki powstańcze" (Wilanów Sings Uprising Songs). In the evening, at 21:00, an open air screening of the film Miasto 44 takes place in front of the District Office at ul. Klimczaka 2. At the same time in Powsin, at 17:00, a Mass combined with a roll call of the fallen is held at the Cemetery of Warsaw Insurgents.
On 2 August the programme moves to the amphitheatre in Park Kultury in Powsin (ul. Maślaków 1), where a concert titled "Piosenka w cieniu wojny" (A Song in the Shadow of War) is planned for 16:00, featuring songs by Mieczysław Fogg and uprising songs performed by a pianist and soloists. Admission to all events is free.
What it means if you happen to be walking the dog
Nobody needs to memorise the full schedule for this to matter. It helps to know that on these two days the area around Kolegiacka and Klimczaka streets will be organised differently than usual, so it's worth planning your route ahead of time, especially on the evening of 1 August, when the singing and the film screening draw a large crowd to one spot.
For families with children, the open air screening of Miasto 44 is also a chance to turn the anniversary into more than a minute of silence on television, and to tell the story in person on an evening walk to the District Office. For older residents of Wilanów and Powsin it's simply an annual ritual worth marking on the calendar, whether someone attends the whole programme or just one part of it.
