In 1956, Poznań remained a bleak ruin of a city, still struggling to recover from the devastation of World War II. Thousands of families enduring harsh conditions became increasingly frustrated and weary. At the Cegielski plant (then known as the Stalin Works or ZISPO), Poznań's largest employer with a workforce of 17,000, tensions were brewing. By early June 1956, despite their fears and apprehensions, the workforce was ready to strike. Party officials were doubtful that the protest would happen, yet they were proved wrong by events that quickly got out of hand.

On 28 June 1956 at 6 am, the Cegielski Works workers did not report for duty. Thousands of them poured into the streets. Their silent parade made its way down ul. Armii Czerwonej (today ul. Święty Marcin) arriving at Pl. Stalina (today Pl. Mickiewicza). By 8.40 am, there were roughly 20,000 protesters in Poznań's streets, a large proportion of them coming from the Cegielski Works with others joining in from Poznań's other factories and establishments. The crowd swelled, grew visibly angry, nevertheless remaining peaceful. Banners bearing the strikers' demands had been put up. The demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the Municipal National Council in the Imperial Castle and the building of the Regional Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party at the intersection of ul. Kościuszki and ul. Armii Czerwonej. Both buildings, hastily abandoned by party officials terrified by the sheer size of the uprising, were soon overtaken by the demonstrators. By around 10 am, a staggering 100,000 people may have been protesting. Little did they know that the authorities decided to squash their protest by deploying the military.

Meanwhile, swept up in their fervour, the crowd stormed the ul. Młyńska prison and the Regional Court. First shots were fired. From that point onwards, events escalated quickly. The devices used to jam Western radio transmissions crashed against the pavement, thrown from the Social Insurance Office building on ul. Dąbrowskiego. Another group moved towards the Security Police building on ul. Kochanowskiego. More gunfire rang out at this site, leaving multiple protesters wounded or killed. By early afternoon, tanks had rolled into the streets. Several neighbourhoods saw full-scale fighting erupt, with demonstrators throwing petrol bombs and sheltering behind barricades made of overturned trams and lorries. The communist authorities deployed massive forces against the striking workers: nearly 11,000 troops and 359 tanks. By nightfall, the authorities regained control over the entire city and enforced a 9 pm curfew.

June 1956 in Poznań left dozens dead and hundreds more wounded.

Danuta Bartkowiak

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

The images have been made available courtesy of the Poznań Branch of the Institute of National Remembrance.

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