Poland's July 22 Marks PKWN Manifest and End of Martial Law

The Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKWN) issued its manifesto on 22 July 1944, a document that became the founding act of the Polish People’s Republic. The decree was later celebrated as the “National Day of Revival” and gave its name to factories and public works until the holiday was abolished after the 1990 democratic reforms.

On 22 July 1983, after 19 months of martial law, the Polish government declared the state of emergency lifted and issued a broad amnesty. The decision was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the 1944 PKWN manifesto, underscoring the symbolic importance of the date in the country’s recent history.