11 November restored as Poland's National Independence Day in 1989

In 1989, in the final months of communist rule, Poland's parliament (the Sejm) restored 11 November as the National Independence Day. The date commemorates 1918, when Poland re-emerged as a state after 123 years of partition among Russia, Prussia and Austria, and when Józef Piłsudski took command of Polish military forces in Warsaw.

The holiday had first been made official in 1937, during the interwar Second Republic. After the Second World War, Poland's communist authorities abolished it. They moved the main state celebration to 22 July, the anniversary of the 1944 manifesto of the communist-backed committee that installed the new government. Marking 11 November was discouraged, and it became an occasion for quiet patriotic gatherings and sometimes opposition demonstrations.

The 1989 decision came as the round-table talks between the authorities and the Solidarity opposition were reshaping the country, and it was part of a wider return to pre-war national symbols. Since then 11 November has been a public holiday, with state ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw. It also became the day of large public gatherings in the capital, including the annual march, which is why the city regularly closes streets and sets security rules for the day.