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On the National Victory Day, 8 May, candles were lit at the Monument to the Martyrdom of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice.

Today, we celebrated the National Victory Day in Poland to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe. It is also the 77^th anniversary of unconditional surrender of the Third Reich – the state responsible for starting the largest military conflict in human history.

The date of 8 May 1945 is the day when the German Instrument of Surrender, signed the day before in Reims, came into force. It ended the hostilities in Europe (the surrender of Imperial Japan was signed on September 2, 1945, on board USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay). In Poland, the event was celebrated for years on 9 May under the name of the National Day of Victory and Freedom, in accordance with the Soviet politics of history. On 24 April, the parliament of Poland adopted the new date and name that is recognised today.

The end of the Second World War in Europe is commemorated every year at the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice. Also today, candles were lit at the foot of the monumental Monument to the Martyrdom of Prisoners-of-War, a structure dedicated to all prisoners of the Lamsdorf camp complex. This was done by Dr. Anna Wickiewicz (head of the Department of Education and Exhibitions), Elżbieta Góra (head of the Department of Collections and Conservation), Jolanta Mierzyńska (director of the Communal Culture, Sports and Recreation Centre in Łambinowice) and Jarosław Gawlik (chairman of the Łambinowice Commune Council). The ceremony was also attended by members of the Historical and Exploratory Association Triskelion.