Eternal glory resonates. This inscription once stood proudly on the Pomnik Żołnierzy Sowieckich. It honored the heroes of the Red Army who fell in the battles for Warsaw’s liberation.
The Pomnik Żołnierzy Sowieckich, also known as the Monument of Gratitude to the Soldiers of the Soviet Army. It stood in Warsaw’s Skaryszewski Park from 1946 to 2018.
Imagine this park in September 1944. Fierce battles raged nearby. Soviet soldiers fought to liberate Praga from Nazi occupation. Twenty-six of those soldiers died close to what is now Waszyngtona Roundabout. They were buried here.
In 1946, two years after Praga was freed, the Pomnik Żołnierzy Sowieckich was unveiled. It stood as a monument to their sacrifice. The monument marked the location of their shared grave.
Let’s look closer at the monument’s design. A. Nenko is credited as the project designer. Other sources point to Major Antonienko. Stanisław Sikora, Stefan Mamot, and Józef Trenarowski crafted the monument from sandstone.
The Pomnik Żołnierzy Sowieckich featured a stele. A relief of a Red Army soldier adorned the stele. Below, lay folded banners. Two plaques bore inscriptions in Polish and Russian. They proclaimed eternal glory to the Red Army heroes. They were fallen in battles for the liberation of the Polish capital, Warsaw.
Turn your attention to the back of the monument. There, a poem by Tadeusz Kubiak. It spoke of the earth where he would not return. It spoke of bidding farewell to the city. The poem connected the Vistula and the Volga rivers. It likened the soldier’s blood to the river’s water.
Consider the changes this monument underwent. In 1968, the soldiers’ remains were exhumed. They were moved to the Soviet Soldiers Mausoleum Cemetery. This was during the reconstruction of the roundabout. The monument was shifted deeper into Skaryszewski Park.
After 1989, the Pomnik Żołnierzy Sowieckich became a site of controversy. It suffered frequent acts of vandalism. Right-wing groups demanded its removal.
Finally, in October 2018, the monument was dismantled. The city authorities ordered the removal. It cited a law banning the propagation of communism. There was talk of moving it to the Soviet Soldiers Mausoleum Cemetery. This plan never materialized. Ten stone slabs from the monument were saved. They are intended for the Cold War Museum in Podborsko.
The Pomnik Żołnierzy Sowieckich is no longer here. Its story reminds us of complicated history. It reminds us of sacrifice, liberation, and the shifting tides of political memory.