There are two historical reasons why Flag Day in Poland is held on 2 May. Firstly, it commemorates the raising of the flag on Siegessäule (the Berlin Victory Column) in the Tiergarten by the Polish First Tadeusz Kosciuszko Infantry Division during the Battle of Berlin. Secondly, during the Polish People’s Republic  (the name given to Soviet-controlled Poland from 1945 until 1989) citizens were ordered to furl their flags on that day so they would not be visible on the 3rd May, a public holiday Poles were not allowed to celebrate during the Communist era.