Monuments and Statues in Tarnów

Location: ul. Narutowicza, in front of the Old Cemetery
Sculptors: Bogdana and Anatol Drwal
Date of unveiling: 19 June, 1966 (26^th anniversary of the first transport of prisoners to KL Auschwitz)

Location: pl. Petőfiego by ul. Krakowska
Sculptor: bust by Gustaw Pálfy, Hungarian artist 
Composition of the monument: Andrzej Trybulski 
Date of unveiling: 1986, funded by the Hungarians as a gift for Tarnów

Location: center of pl. Kazimierza Wielkiego
Sculptor: Tadeusz Błotnicki
Date of unveiling: 26 November, 1900
Height: 4,5 meters (1,1 m bust, 3,4 m pedestal)

Location: Sanguszków Park in Tarnów-Gumniska, in the backyard of Sanguszków palace

6. Statue of Wincenty Witos

Location: pl. Drzewny by ul. Lwowska
Sculptor: Józef Potępa from Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow
Designers of the pedestal and the arrangement: Julian Klimek from Cracow, architect, and Inga Kłosowicz from Tarnów, engineer
Date of unveiling: 8th October 1988
Height: 6,15 m: 1,65 m pedestal; 4,5 m figure (weight: 3,5 t)

Relevance to Tarnów: Wincenty Witos (1874-1945) was the initiator and activist of Polish people’s movement, born in a nearby Wierzchosławice. Witos was a member of a parliament and thrice prime minister of the Republic of Poland in the interwar period. An imposing monument: the figure of Witos is presented upright, cast in bronze and placed on the granite pedestal.

Location: Strzelecki Park 
Originator: Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz (rector of Cracow Academy of Fine Arts in years 1922-1927)
Date of unveiling: June 30, 1929

Relevance to Tarnów: General Józef Bem, the hero of Poland and Hungary, was born in Tarnów 14th March 1794 and died in Aleppo(Syria) 10th December 1850. The ashes of the general were ceremonially brought to Poland in 1929 and buried in a magnificent mausoleum in Park Strzelecki. As a result of the change of denomination(consequently he changed his name for Murad Pasza) could not be buried in the Tarnów Cathedral. In Park Strzelecki in the middle of a park pond there was erected a mausoleum-sarcophagus resting on six Corinthian columns.

Its walls are inscribed with:
– dates: 1794 (year of birth), 1850 (his death), 1929 (his ashes were brought to Tarnów)
– inscriptions: in Polish “Józef Bem”, in Hungarian “Daddy Bem”, the greatest leader of the Hungarian independence movement”, in Arab “Ferik Murad Pasza”. The pillars of the mausoleum were placed on a two-stage plate which rises from water and were surrounded with stone balls symbolizing artillery in which general Bem served. These balls are linked by the gun metal chains cast from melt cannons.

Place: Old Cemetery in Zabłocie, Tarnów (in the vicinity of the monument of insurgents of the January Uprising of 1863)
Date of realization and unveiling: 1999

The monument is made from granite and marble cobblestones. The monument is engraved with inscription from the Bible: “He said, What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground”. Engraved are names of 53 people who lost their lives at the time.

17. The Fallen Fighters of the January Uprising of 1863 Monument

Place: Old Cemetery in Zabłocie, Tarnów (in the vicinity of the Victims of the Galician Slaughter of 1846 Monument)
Date of realization and unveiling: interwar period, in place of the former one

This monument commemorates the Tarnów Jews who were slaughtered by Nazis on the area of the Jewish cemetery. It is in the form of a broken stone column(the only preserved element of the Tarnów New Synagogue, which was destroyed in years 1939-1941). On the column there is a plaque: “Here are buried 2 000 Jews who were savagely slaughtered by the German thugs from 11 June 1942 to 5 September 1943”.

The 3 metre high monument was initiated by commander of the regiment Aleksander Ehbar on the area of the Kłuszyńska Cavalry barracks in Tarnów. It is devoted to the fallen soldiers and officers of the regiment. It is made of concrete in the form of an obelisk crowned with an eagle with extended wings. The front plate is engraved with an inscription: “To soldiers and officers of the 5th regiment of mounted riflemen who died for our homeland-comrades in arms. 1920-1923”.

Next to the monument in August 2002 four small obelisks were unveiled, first of them is devoted to Sybiracy, second one to WiN organization, third to political prisoners of stalinism and fourth to those who were conscripted into “Mining Battalions” instead of the army.

It is made of concrete and Pińczów sandstone with a cast iron Piast eagle on the top. On the monument there is a plaque with an inscription: “Eternal glory to the heroes fallen for our homeland. 1945” and about 100 names of the fallen soldiers.

The elephant was sculpted during summer holidays near Palace of the Youth in 2001. The same year the elephant was transported near CH Krakus at the crossroads of Krakowska, Nowy Świat and Mościckiego streets. Originally it was white however, it was painted by children in 2003. It is a common “meeting point”among the youth of Tarnów.

This boulder commemorates patriotic celebrations which took place in this church during PRL period, for example on the anniversary of the outbreak of WWII and many more.

On the monument there is an inscription: “To the fallen for our homeland”

Among the gates built ages before on the large areas of eastern Europe the most numerous and technically interesting ones are preserved in Transylvania. Unfortunately they are completely forgotten in Europe. The traditional Székely hospitality does not allow gates to be closed. They are open to everybody, both happy and miserable, like open and philanthropic hearts of the Székely. It is expressed by the inscriptions on the arches of the gates: “Peace to the newcomers, blessing with the leavers”.

This modest monument was founded by the inhabitants of Mościce to commemorate this event as well as the 80th anniversary of gaining independence and protecting Lvov.

 The monument is a two-meter-high sculpture of the Tarnovian writer, poet, dramatist and translator. The figure of Brandstaetter, dressed in a beret, is leaning against the corner of a tenement house, smoking a pipe and looking at passers-by.

“Kopijnik” is a gift donated to Tarnów by Hungarian cities.
“Kopijnik” is the Polish equivalent of the Hungarian word “Kopjafa”, meaning a wooden pole traditionally placed on the tombs of warriors in Hungary to honor their heroic deeds. A few similar poles were placed in other Polish cities. The pole in Tarnów was set up in 2006 to commemorate Furgon Mihaly, a Hungarian lawyer, historian and soldier who died of wounds received during the liberation of the fortress in Przemyśl in 1914. After the fight he was taken to Tarnów, where he died and was buried.

In 2008 another “kopijnik” was placed in Tarnów in honor of Norbert Lippóczy, a Hungarian who settled in Tarnów before the war to run a family winery and stayed in the city for the rest of his life. Lippóczy was regarded as an active social worker, history and art lover and sophisticated collector. Additionally, one of his greatest achievements was tightening relations between Poland and Hungary.
“Kopijnik” is located in a special area of the city dedicated to Hungarian culture and history, the main part of which is the bust of Sandor Petofi, a poet and aide-de-camp of General Bem. The area also includes formerly placed poles and the Sekler Gate symbolizing the friendship between the two nations.

The Way of the Cross comprises 14 chapels, which are over three meters high and crowned with metal cases. The cases contain canvases presenting the Passion of Christ, which were painted in the second half of the 19th century by Italian painter Luigi Morgari. Later Anna Pawłowska and Zofia Pawłowska from the Restoration Workshop at the Diocesan Museum in Tarnów worked on the conservation of the paintings. On the square where the Way of the Cross is located you can also see an imposing cross made of oak.

 At the end of the Way you will encounter a statue of Christ placed on a 1,9 meter high socle. The stone sculpture, which was made in the years 1989-1990, depicts Christ in the moment of Resurrection.

The sculpture of the Holy Father pervades compositionally the socle, which is made of reinforced concrete covered with granite. There are flowers, in Papal and national colours, placed in the hollows of the socle.

Location: al. Tarnowskich
Dimensions: height: 1,5 m, perimeter: 1,75 m, weight: around 1 t
Date of unveiling: 1983

The obelisk commemorating the death of Roman Rogoziński and Grzegorz Wolak, firefighters who died during the night of the 12/13 June 2004 while putting out the fire of the restaurant “Podzamcze”, located on St. Martin Hill. The year 2004 was the most tragic in the history of Tarnów Fire Service.

The group of figures consists of 4 statues: in the middle the biggest one, the statue of Mother of God, on the right side is the statue of king of Poland John II Casimir, who is offering a crown to her, which is illustrating his vows from 1965. On the left are much smaller statues of Maximilian Kolbe and Stanislaw Kostka.

The monumental concrete figures constituted the main altar of the Holy Virgin Mary Queen of Poland Church, completed in 1963. As a result of complete reconstruction of the main altar, carried out on a large scale in 1984, the statues were moved to the current location.

Chamber of Commerce in Tarnów, TK Development – developer of “Tarnovia” Shopping Mall and the Local Government of Tarnów has contributed to creation of the monument and its surroundings.

It is believed that touching King’s shoe with right hand brings luck and makes dreams come true.

In April 2010, nine more oaks were planted – eight to commemorate the victims of 1940 massacre, and one to honor the victims of the presidential plane crash in Smoleńsk. The passengers were on their way to official celebrations of the 70^th anniversary of the Katyń Massacre. Among the victims were: Lech Kaczyński, President of the Republic of Poland, and his wife; Sławomir Skrzypek, president of the National Bank of Poland and Wiesław Woda, MP from Tarnów. None of the 96 passengers aboard survived the crash.

Each of the oaks is accompanied by information plaque. Several metal figures of soldiers, arranged in a little birch copse, complete the monument. Oaks of Katyń Ave in Tarnów is a part of a nation-wide program – ‘Katyń… save from oblivion’ (“Katyń… ocalić od zapomnienia”).

Relevance to Tarnów: In the 1980s, ten thousand-year-old black oaks were dug out from the gravel-pit on the river Wisłoka in Latoszyn, near Dębica. After being transported to Tarnów, the oaks were placed in front of an inn, which was just about to be opened, giving the newly established accommodation facility its name – “Pod Dębami”, or ‘the Oaks Inn’.

At first, the oaks were planned to be placed at St Martin’s Hill, marking a symbolic border of the Carpathian Mountains (St. Martin’s Hill is the northernmost hill of the Carpathians).

Relevance to Tarnów: On 14^th of June 1940, from the train station in Tarnów, a transport of 728 prisoners left for Auschwitz. They were mostly political prisoners held imprisoned in Tarnów. They became the first victims of the most fatal concentration camp in the history of the World, where the Nazis murdered over one and a half million people of many nations. Over 50 transports of prisoners, totaling to 7,000 people, were sent from Tarnów to Auschwitz between the years 1940 and 1943.

728 names are inscribed on the monument.

The monument is made of bronze and stands on a granite plinth. The Saint wears a habit and stretches his hands in a gesture of love. A striped garment, wore by all prisoners of the KL Auschwitz, is presented on front of the plinth.

The monument has been placed in a so-called ‘district of heroes’, section of Tarnów (the streets are named after Polish heroes, for example major H. Sucharski, colonel S. Dąbek, general H. Kleeberg). The monument was unveiled at the beginning of ‘the Year of Kolbe’ in the Catholic Church, which preceded the 70^th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Maximilian Maria Kolbe in concentration camp in Auschwitz.

64. The Sculpture by Wilhelm Sasnal in Tarnów – Mościce

Mościce is a industrial section of Tarnów, where Wilhelm Sasnal grew up. The Sculpture is in a form of pyramid made of cement rings and covered with adhesive. Inside one of the rings a date: 28.03.1983 is inscribed. The author explains that random date as a symbol of an incident that might have, but has never occurred. It recalls the years of Russian occupation of Poland, after the WWII, and state of permanent stress and threat among citizens of Mościce, assuming that the nearby Nitrogen Works is target for the missiles from beyond the Iron Curtain.

Location: ul. Kwiatkowskiego, outside Grupa Azoty head office 

Author: Stanisław Szwechowicz 
Date of unveiling: 9 October, 2012 (to celebrate the 85^th year of operation)
Height: 3,96 m

Structure of the monument refers to an earlier work of Stanisław Czechowicz also dedicated to Kwiatkowski, which author created in Gdynia. It has however been adjusted to suite the location. A 2.48 m long sash symbolizes great Vision and Action, two distinctive qualities of Kwiatkowski, pragmatic scientist and engineer yet romantic seer. 

Relevance to Tarnów: From 1931 to 1935 Kwiatkowski was the CEO of two chemical plants – in Chorzów and the one in Tarnów-Mościce. Then, he moved to Warsaw and became the vice-Prime Minister and the Secretary of the Treasury until 30 September, 1939. He wrote his monumental economic thesis “Dysproporcje. Rzecz o Polsce przeszłej i obecnej”.

Relevance to Tarnów: 

From 1931 to 1935 Kwiatkowski was the CEO of two chemical plants – in Chorzów and the one in Tarnów-Mościce. Then, he moved to Warsaw and became the vice-Prime Minister and the Secretary of the Treasury until 30 September, 1939. He wrote his monumental economic thesis “Dysproporcje. Rzecz o Polsce przeszłej i obecnej”.

Karol Wojtyla often visited Tarnów during his service as a Bishop and Metropolitan of Cracow. Pope John Paul II stayed in Tarnów 9th and 10th June 1987. At that time, during his meeting with the inhabitants of Tarnów he said: “You don’t even realise how much I like to visit Tarnów”. 

The four sculptures were unveiled as part of “Tarnów. 1000 years of modernity” project by BWA Tarnów Art Gallery. 

Location: ul. Mickiewicza 16, in front of III Liceum Ogólnokształcące (high school) 
Author: Michał Poręba  
Date of unveiling: 22 September, 2018
Height: 2,55 m

Location: western side of Rynek – the Town Square, by the entrance to Pasaż Tertila  
Author: Arkadiusz Latos from Kielce (on the initiative of Rada Osiedla “Starówka”)   
Date of unveiling: 30 October, 2018
Height: 2,50 m

On the cemetery wall there is a commemorative plaque. Underneath it, the mound made of stones surmounted with a white cross which is rooted into the mound, was made. On the stones inscriptional boards were placed 

Inscription on the plaque: In tribute to our compatriots from Lviv and from south-eastern borderlands of  the 2nd Republic of Poland, who died for their homeland and to those who were murdered in years 1939-1947 / Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich. (This society cultivates the memory of Lviv and the south-eastern borderlands.)

Inscriptions on the boards:

 In tribute and in order of eternal memory to Heroical Lviv Eaglets  / community of primary school nr 9 im. Orląt Lwowskich w Tarnowie.

Volyn and eastern Lesservoivodeship  / Ukrainian nationalists from the organisation OUN-UPA killed over 250 000 Poles.

Lviv, for prisons „Brygidki” and „Łąckiego” / Places of mass murder of prisoners done by NKWD in 1941.

Murdered by Ukrainian nationalists/ residents of counties Hrubieszów and Tomaszów Lubelski in March 1944 / We praise you and remember you!

Eternal peace to fellow countrymen from Kut, murdered by Ukrainian bands in the Second World War.

4th July 1941 / Lviv-Wuleckie Hills, place of the massacre of Lviv professors murdered by Nazi German occupation forces and Ukrainian nationalists.

The monument depicts figure of the Marshal, standing with his hand on a sabre

In the future, around the monument, educational path will be created. Containing the most important dates from the life of the Marshal Pilsudski. Additionally, benches with audio system from which there wil a possibility of listening to the history of his life, will be also placed there.  

Connections between Pilsudski and Tarnow:

Did you know that Jozef Pilsudki used to visit Tarnow, e.g. He inspected the drills of local branch of „Strzelec” riflemen’s association – first time in 1913, and then immediately before the First World War, in July 1914?

81. The stone monument commemorating the visit of John Paul II on the Tarnów land.

Location: ul. Traugutta in the direct neigbourhood of Jaskółka Tarnów Arena

Date of unveiling: 18 May, 2020 (100th anniversary of st John Paul II’s birth)

The table on the stone bears the following inscription: “From this place, on June 9, 1987, Saint John Paul II began his apostolic visit to Tarnów. On the hundredth anniversary of the birth of John Paul II. Inhabitants of Mościce. Tarnów – Mościce 2020“

Karol Wojtyła, when he was the Bishop and the Metropolitan of Krakow, he was frequent visitor to Tarnów. As the Pope, John Paul II arrived in Tarnów from Lublin and landed in Mościce on June 9, 1987 about 8:45 P.M. The day after (Wednesday) at 4:45 P.M., he departed for Kraków from the same site. The moment before the Pope’s arrival at 8:00 P.M. church bells from all 666 parishes of Tarnów Diocese began to ring, including 17 in Tarnów. 

Among the ones who greeted John Paul II were: Bishop Jerzy Ablewicz together with Bishops (Piotr Bednarczyk, Józef Gucwa and Władysław Bobowski), priests (Prelate Dean K.Kos, Prelate Dean J.Rec – the Rector of Mościce, Prelate E.Łomnicki, Prelate W.Kostrzewa, Professor M.Bednarz, S.Sojka, Professor A.Kokoszka) and two little kids with flowers for the Holy Father. 

Provincial and city authorities were represented by: Chairman of the Provincial National Council Mieczysław Menżyński, Tarnów Voivode Stanisław Nowak, Vice-voivode of Tarnów Marian Chudzik, the President of Tarnów Mieczysław Strzelecki and the Director of Denominations Department UW – Franciszek Styczeń.