“For those fallen in the East.” These solemn words etched onto the bronze of the Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East, resonate with a potent force. Standing before this memorial, a poignant reminder of the pain and suffering endured by the Polish people during the Second World War, you are transported to a time of darkness and resilience.
The monument itself, a somber testament to the tragic events of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, depicts a pile of religious symbols, representing different faiths, placed on a railway flatcar set on tracks. Each railway sleeper bears the names of places from which Polish citizens were deported for forced labor in the USSR. The names of the gulag camps, collective farms, and exile villages where many perished stand inscribed as a grim testament to the cruelty and barbarity of the Soviet regime.
The inscription “For the victims of Soviet aggression 17.IX.1939. The Polish nation 17.IX.1995,” etched on the monument, serves as a stark reminder of the date that marked the beginning of the Polish people’s ordeal. It also commemorates the solemn unveiling of the monument on the 56th anniversary of the Soviet invasion. The monument stands as a beacon of remembrance, dedicated to the victims of the Soviet repressions, including those who were murdered in the Katyn Forest massacre. Their stories, however tragic, are not forgotten.
On September 17th of each year, a memorial ceremony takes place here, honoring the memory of those who suffered and perished. In 1999, Pope John Paul II visited the memorial during his Polish pilgrimage, offering prayers for the victims of Soviet aggression. The monument serves as not only a place of mourning but also a place of hope, a reminder of the strength and resilience of the Polish people who endured unimaginable suffering.