https://dzieje.pl/wiadomosci/w-niedziele-w-domostawie-odsloniecie-pomnika-rzez-wolynska
On Sunday, the Unveiling of the "Volhynian Massacre" Monument in Domostawa**
UPDATE: 14.07.2024, PUBLISHED: 13.07.2024 News
The monument commemorating Poles murdered by Ukrainian nationalists in Volhynia and Eastern Lesser Poland, "Volhynian Massacre," will be unveiled on Sunday in Domostawa, near Nisko (Podkarpackie). The sculpture by Andrzej Pityński is controversial due to its graphic nature.
The bronze sculpture depicts an eagle with its body engulfed in flames, and the wings bear the names of towns whose residents were massacred by the UPA. In the center of the monument is a cross cut out, with trident-shaped pitchforks impaling a child's body. At the base of the monument, one side shows a family with children in flames, while the other side shows the heads of children impaled on fence posts, also in flames. Including the pedestal, the monument stands 20 meters tall.
Due to its graphic nature, the monument elicits strong emotions. For a long time, it couldn't find a home, as many localities refused to place it on their land: Rzeszów, Toruń, Jelenia Góra, and Stalowa Wola. As a result, the monument now stands along the Via Carpatia route near Domostawa (Nisko County, Jarocin Municipality).
Jarocin Municipality Mayor Tomasz Podpora defends the monument. In an interview with PAP, he noted that this is how the artist expressed his vision of commemorating the victims in Volhynia, "and it must be respected." Addressing the frequent criticism that the monument is too graphic, he pointed out that equally graphic scenes are seen in films and no one is outraged. "We must say that this was how it was (in Volhynia). The artist expressed his vision this way, and it should not be changed," he added.
When asked why Jarocin Municipality agreed to the monument when many other local governments had previously rejected it, the mayor responded that the idea and initiative for the monument in Domostawa came from his predecessor, Zbigniew Walczak, who is the president of the Social Committee for the Construction of the "Volhynian Massacre" monument in this locality.
Witold Zych, a member of the organizational committee for the monument unveiling, quoted the words of the monument's creator, saying, "A good monument is one that, once seen, is remembered for a lifetime." "And this is such a monument," Zych noted.
He added that the municipal council adopted the resolution on this matter with nine votes in favor and six abstentions; no one was against it. The land for the monument's placement was purchased. Podpora emphasized that the monument's construction was also approved by the creator himself – Andrzej Pityński – when there was no Via Carpatia route yet, but the bridge construction was planned.
In a similar vein, members of the Social Committee for the Construction of the "Volhynian Massacre" monument in Domostawa expressed in a social media video, inviting people to Sunday’s unveiling ceremonies. They argue that it is good the monument evokes strong emotions and that it is graphic because the events in Volhynia in 1943 were such.
Witold Zych quoted the words of the monument’s creator, saying, "A good monument is one that, once seen, is remembered for a lifetime." "And this is such a monument," Zych noted.
"The art of Andrzej Pityński, the realism of these events, is the main strength of this monument. The composition he created is so strong, so powerful that it will move every Pole who has a Polish heart. The monument bears the inscription: 'Honor their memory.' And this is a message for all Poles," Zych emphasized.
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