“The Russians think Central Europe is still their colony. This shows imperialist thinking. The historical policy of the Russian Federation is based on a lie, said the president of the Institute of National Remembrance, Dr. Karol Nawrocki in Głubczyce (Opolskie Voivodeship) during the demolition of the so-called Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army.
In the 1990s, local government officials laid flowers here and took photos in front of this monument. We had to wait more than 30 years for such facilities to collapse. We assume there are about 30 more. This is the 28th object of this type in Poland that we have removed during the year. We’ll be happy when the last one falls. Most local governments are open to our suggestions. Unfortunately, some still resist in a strange way
– said dr. Nawrocki, before the demolition of the Soviet propaganda facility, the so-called monument of gratitude to the Red Army” in Głubczyce on the corner of ul. Maria Skłodowska-Curie and ul. Zeromski.
The problem is that for many years it was local governments that had to fund the liquidation of these facilities, and there was an argument that instead of demolishing a new playground, benches could be built. The National Remembrance Institute explains to local government officials that the National Remembrance Institute finances and carries out this task. We only need local approval. The problem remains in Olsztyn, where local government officials delve into the acrobatics of the “conceptual museum” and recognize that such objects are museum objects. The mayor of Olsztyn claims that a discussion can be held around the monument about the communist system and the year 1945. I replied to the mayor that the discussion is ongoing and that the Soviet object need not be in the center of the city. It is a monument of contempt for the victims and a monument of great respect for the perpetrators
he pointed it out.
We are dealing with objects that destroy social consciousness, such as the currently liquidated object in Głubczyce. The National Remembrance Institute only liquidates objects in places in the public space where there are no human remains. This is not possible in cemeteries
he stressed.
The president of the Institute of National Remembrance recalled that the first of the two “monuments of gratitude” in Głubczyce, removed in October 2022, was renovated a few years ago thanks to European Union grants.
I saw posters with Lenin there, I am not surprised by the behavior of communist factions from Italy or Spain. Some EU elites want to restore such monuments because they are compatible with their value system. I am outraged about this. This is embarrassing
– added.
False historical story
The historical policy of the Russian Federation is based on a lie. The scientific lie is a factor affecting the people of this country. “Heroes of the Red Army” form their identity today. This allows Putin to keep the Russians “in his hand”. This shows the imperial thinking that Central Europe is still part of the Russian Empire. The amended code of the Russian Federation stipulates that for each demolished monument there is a threat of 3 years of hard labor. They want to punish us for tearing down Soviet monuments in free and independent Poland. There are four such cases. They think Central Europe is still a Soviet colony
he assessed.
so-called a monument of gratitude to the Red Army, erected in 1945, commemorated the 676 soldiers of the Red Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front who died in March 1945 in the battle for the city. Based on the documentation of the Polish Red Cross, it was established that extensive excavations of the remains of the Red Army soldiers were carried out in Głubczyce in 1952 and that no burial sites of Red Army soldiers were left in Głubczyce. It is a classic obelisk on a plinth and a stepped pedestal.
The first of the two “Gratitude Monuments of the Red Army” in Głubczyce was removed on October 27, 2022. It commemorates the Red Army soldiers who died in the Głubczyce poviat. The obelisk, in front of which stood a figure of a Soviet soldier with a submachine gun, was placed on the plinth of the former Siegessäule, commemorating the Prussian victories of the late 19th century. The demolition of the monument in Głubczyce included the dismantling of the obelisk and the Soviet soldier, preserving the historical pedestal from the 19th century, on which a new memorial will be placed, funded by the Institute of National Remembrance.
One of the initiators and initiators of the removal of the monument was a resident of Głubczyce, a soldier of the Home Army born in the eastern borderlands, Captain Marian Markiewicz, who was imprisoned by the Germans for 1.5 years. In July 1944, as a soldier of the Home Army, he took part in the operation “Ostra Brama” in Vilnius. He took part in the battle of Surkonty, which today is considered the first battle of the “cursed soldiers”. Of the 72 Poles, 36 were killed. On September 1, 1947, he was arrested by the University Library. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In 1980-81 he built Solidarity structures in Głubczyce. In 2017, President Andrzej Duda honored him with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Markiewicz died on October 25, 2022 at the age of 98.
In March 2022, the president of the Institute of National Remembrance called on local governments to remove from public spaces any names and symbols that still represent people, organizations, events or dates symbolizing communism.
It is high time to catch up in this area (…) Let it be plain and clear: in Polish public space there is no place for any commemoration of the totalitarian communist regime and the people who serve it
– emphasized in a statement of March 4, 2022.
READ ALSO:
— Members of parliament from PiS and the left left Żakowski without a dry thread! “Talking about the toppling of monuments by Lech Kaczyński is irresponsible”
– Monument to the Red Army in Malbork has been removed! Rabenda: “Dismantling in practice. Thanks to the chairman of the IPN. VIDEO
Mon/PAP
Source: wPolityce