On the 44th anniversary of the introduction of martial law, at the Papal Cross in Marshal Józef Piłsudski Square in Warsaw, the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, and the Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), Prof. Karol Polejowski, lit the Candle of Freedom.
The commemorations continue a long-standing tradition of honoring the victims of communist repression and expressing solidarity with those who opposed the regime. The idea of the “Candle of Freedom” refers to a symbolic gesture from December 1981, when— in response to the dramatic events in Poland under martial law—U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II appealed to the people of the free world to light candles in their windows as a sign of support and opposition to the actions of the communist authorities. “Let the flame of millions of candles in American homes bear witness that the lights of freedom cannot be extinguished,” President Reagan said at the time. Candles were lit, among other places, in the White House and the Apostolic Palace, and Poles in the country responded to this appeal, expressing their hope and determination.
This year’s ceremonies began at 6:30 p.m. with a screening of the documentary film by the IPN’s National Education Office entitled Thread of Hope. The culmination of the commemorations took place at 7:30 p.m., when candles at the Papal Cross were lit by the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, and the Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance, Prof. Karol Polejowski, together with invited representatives of the diplomatic corps.
“Poland will never forget the victims of martial law—never forget the victims and never forget the perpetrators,” emphasized the President of the Republic of Poland.
“The Candle of Freedom burns in Warsaw, in Marshal Józef Piłsudski Square; it burns in Polish homes and in your hands. Nothing will extinguish the Polish light and the desire for freedom,” said Karol Nawrocki.
The President was accompanied by ministers from the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland: Wojciech Kolarski, Jarosław Dębowski, and Rafał Leśkiewicz, as well as the Head of the National Security Office, Sławomir Cenckiewicz. The ceremonies were also attended by the Deputy Presidents of the IPN: Mateusz Szpytma, Ph.D. and Prof. Krzysztof Szwagrzyk; the Director of the IPN’s Bureau of National Education Adam Pleskaczyński, Ph.D.; the Director of the Office of the IPN President Marek Jedynak, Ph.D; the IPN Spokesperson and Director of the Press Office Rafał Kościański, Ph.D; and the Director of the Museum of the Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People’s Republic Adrianna Garnik.
The event was accompanied by the exhibition “To the Unknown—Compatriots. 1925–2025”, prepared by the IPN’s National Education Office and devoted to the history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the origins of similar sites of remembrance established in the Second Polish Republic. The exhibition will be available in Marshal Józef Piłsudski Square until 15 December 2025.
The Institute of National Remembrance invited the public to take part in the event and to light their own “candles of freedom”—a sign of remembrance for the victims of martial law and an expression of attachment to the values of solidarity and freedom for which so many had to fight.
The event was held under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki.