No Righteous Monument in Poznań

Mateusz Szczepaniak / Błażej Dąbrowski, 16 November 2016
The square lies at the junction of ul.Królowej Jadwigi, ul.Górnej and ul.Dolnej Wildy, near the closed-down Municipal Stadium which, during German occupation, was the site of the slave labour camp. Last year, the City Council decided to name the square in honour of the Righteous Among the Nations. The slave labour camp has been commemorated by a concrete obelisk resembling a flaming torch atop a menorah.

"The naming of the square was intended to be just the beginning of a larger project", says project promoter Henryk Józefowski. "I wanted another monument to stand there, one honouring all those, especially Poles, who rescued Jews during World War II."

Despite having an allocation of funding in the 2014 budget, the monument was not erected and the funds were utilised elsewhere.

However, not everyone is in favour of the project. Current chairperson of the Wild Housing Estate Council and former Councillor, Dorota Bonk-Hammermeister, was against the idea from the beginning.

"I voted against it. I considered at the time, and I still consider, that the previous name for that site (…) was decidedly better", said Dorota Bonk-Hammermeister. "Suddenly, a plaque was to become an unattractive monument which would cost a shocking amount of money. […] Fortunately, those funds were returned to us. Right now, the same is being requested, but we won't give even one złoty for a monument […] The person behind this idea is also a councillor of the Piątkowo Housing Estate - let him put the monument up there."

According to Poznań Jewish Community Council Chairwoman Alicja Kobus, "This is a beautiful initiative, so I completely don't understand the attitude of the housing estate councillors - especially how the monument is needed on this site to complement that commemorating the site of the labour camp. It would show that Poles very often rescued Jews. It is unpleasant that the COuncil does not understand this."

Source: Dąbrowski B., Nie chcą obelisku na Wildzie [online] http://www.gloswielkopolski.pl/artykul/9069985,nie-chca-obelisku-na-wildzie,id,t.html (Accessed: 9.11.2015)