On August 20, 1944, the insurgents captured the building of the Polish Joint-Stock Telephone Company (PAST), the second-tallest building in Warsaw. Its capture was not only one of the insurgents' greatest successes but also one of the best-documented events of the Warsaw Uprising. On August 20, at 13 p.m., anniversary ceremonies began in front of the PAST building, which also houses the Warsaw Ghetto Museum.
The PAST building at 37/39 Zielna Street was of strategic importance to the Germans. The tower of the Polish Joint-Stock Telephone Company (PJTS) at the time—the largest telephone exchange in this part of Europe—dominated the surrounding area, allowing for a view of the insurgent positions and the possibility of firing upon them.
On the night of August 19-20, 1944, insurgent units under the command of Captain Henryk Roycewicz "Leliwa" attacked the eight-story PAST building. To capture the building, the insurgents had to set it on fire. A fire engine pump was used in the assault, pumping a fuel mixture into the building. The raging fire in the building sealed the Polish victory. The building remained in Polish hands until the end of the armed uprising.
During the ceremony, Stanisław Brzosko "Socha" from the Home Army "Kiliński" battalion, whose soldiers besieged the building, spoke about the creation of a flammable mixture – the same one that was poured into incendiary bottles.
Commemorations commemorating the capture of the PAST by the insurgents have been held since 2000. "On November 9, 2000, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Professor Jerzy Buzek, handed over the symbolic keys to the PAST building to the Foundation of the Polish Underground State, specially established by the board of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers. Both of our organizations – ŚZŻAK and the Foundation of the Polish Underground State – strive through their activities to pass on to future generations the values we considered important during our struggle," said Hanna Stadnik, vice president of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers.
"The Polish instinct for freedom cannot and will not be killed," Jan Józef Kasprzyk, Head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression, stated in his speech, quoting Marshal Józef Piłsudski. Also speaking were Ewa Malinowska-Grupińska, Chairwoman of the Warsaw City Council, and Paweł Rabiej, Deputy Mayor of Warsaw. Wreaths were laid.
The Warsaw Uprising, like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising a year earlier, offers contemporary people a chance to reflect on timeless values – the right to freedom, respect for others, and ensuring that future generations live in an independent country – said MGW Director Albert Stankowski. “Guided by the mission of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, which I was entrusted with organizing, I am deeply convinced that that tragic time, combining the suffering of the Polish and Jewish nations, imposes on us an obligation to remember the participants in the fighting. Among them were Polish citizens of Jewish descent. I acknowledge with appreciation and respect the work of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers and the Foundation of the Polish Underground State in commemorating the tragic fate of the insurgents, the Home Army, and the capital. August 20, 1944, is an important date for the Warsaw Ghetto Museum,” concluded Albert Stankowski.
Anna Kilian
