Memorial obelisk at the Cemetery of Soviet Soldiers

Technique: reinforced concrete structure, bas-relief, wrought metal

Dimensions: 18 m (height)

Object: The obelisk forms part of the urban arrangement of the Cemetery of Soviet Soldiers. A reinforced concrete obelisk with a rectangular cross-section, measuring 1 m × 1.5 m and 18 m high, decorated in its upper part with a frieze of stylised elements: a star, hammer and sickle, and a finial in the form of a wrought metal globe, can be found at the uppermost point of the cemetery, on a hill. The obelisk and the steps leading to it were built in 1949. It is not certain, but very likely that Alfons Łosowski is the author. Both the obelisk and other decorations of the cemetery are in the Socialist Realism style.

Place: The Cemetery of Soviet Soldiers is located at the back of People’s Meeting Square and covers an area of 1.65 ha of the former Non-Denominational Cemetery. It borders the historic Garrison Cemetery. Construction started in 1946. The exhumation of Soviet soldiers’ bodies and their transport to the cemetery were completed in 1949, along with primary arrangement and decoration work. The cemetery was designed by Gdańsk University of Technology employees, but parts of the monument and obelisk were designed by Alfons Łosowski. The cemetery is arranged in 3 parts located at different heights of the slope and the valley’s foot, where the described object is to be found. The entire area is based on Socialist Realism guidelines and currently remains one of the few monuments in this style in Gdańsk.

Information about the author: Alfons Łosowski (04 Jan 1908–27 Jun 1988). Born in Orkiewicze in the Novogrudok region (currently in Belarus). He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the S. Báthory University in Vilnius under the supervision of Prof. Kuna, Mikenas and Aleksandrowicz.

During the war, he was a Home Army soldier of the Vilnius district. After the war, he settled in Gdańsk. Until 1955, he was working on reconstructing sculptures as part of the Gdańsk Old Town restoration. He brought back to life sculptures decorating many façades of the most famous tenement houses, all based on modest, surviving photographic documentation. In 1955, he started independent creative work in his studio at 11/13 Mariacka Street.

He authored several outdoor sculptures within the Gdańsk area, which he donated to the city in 1966, as well as many sculptures in public buildings in Poland, in museums and private collections. Granite and wood were his primary working materials. He created a distinctive style that combined organic form with a natural stone texture.

Condition of the object: good

Owner: Gdańsk Road and Greenery Authority

Author of the entry: Kora Kowalska