Unveiling of the Monument to the Expelled People of Greater Poland in Poznan

On 5 November 2024, at the intersection of Powstańców Wielkopolskich and Towarowa streets in Poznań, the unveiling of the Monument to the Expelled Greater Polanders took place. The date of the ceremony coincided with the 85th anniversary of the first forced displacement of Poznan citizens from their homes. Initially, they were taken to the Lager Główna transit camp on Bałtycka Street in Poznań, and then to the General Government. According to the Institute of National Remembrance, around 33,500 people were imprisoned in the transit camp, of whom around 26,000 were residents of Poznan. The total number of victims of displacement from the so-called Wartheland is estimated at up to 280,000.

For years, the victims of the expulsions in Wielkopolska had been campaigning for the creation of a Monument to the expellees in several associations. In the course of these efforts, the Chancellery represented the association ‘Wspólnota Polaków Wypêtonych i Poszkodowanych przez Niemców w latach 1939-1945’ pro bono .

In 2016, one of the associations presented its own project for a monument, which, however, was not accepted by all parties involved.

Thanks to the efforts of advocate Maciej Obrebski and attorney Artur Pietruszka, an open competition for the design of the Monument to the Expelled Wielkopolans, as well as a public debate on the shape of a proper commemoration of the tragic events of the Second World War, was organised. In the course of this debate, advocate Maciej Obrebski took part, inter alia, in a discussion on Radio Merkury, presenting the position of the association ‘Wspólnota Polaków Wypêtonych i Poszkodowanych przez Niemców w latach 1939-1945’.

The competition jury included representatives of all associations for victims of displacement, as well as members of the municipal team for the erection of monuments in the city of Poznań, and artists-sculptors. The first of the competitions held was inconclusive; none of the works presented gained the recognition of the jury.

In November 2021, the results of the second competition were announced, in which the design by Karol Badyna, a Krakow-based artist and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, was selected. The monument was realised in the form of a bas-relief, depicting silhouettes of Expellees of different ages crowded into a small space.

The competition, as well as the construction of the monument, was financed by the City of Poznań, with the participation of the Marshall Office in Poznań.

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