A monument in Katowice in the form of three bronze wings commemorating the Silesian Uprisings of 1919, 1920 and 1921, unveiled in 1967.
The Monument to the Silesian Insurgents in Katowice commemorates three armed uprisings of the Silesian population in 1919, 1920 and 1921 against the German authorities, which were meant to bring about the annexation of Upper Silesia to Poland. It stands in Silesian Insurgents Park on Wojciecha Korfantego Avenue, near Gen. Jerzy Ziętek roundabout. It was unveiled on 1 September 1967.
The monument takes the form of three bronze eagle's wings, symbolising the three Silesian Uprisings. It was designed by the sculptor Gustaw Zemła and the architect Wojciech Zabłocki. The structure weighs 60 tonnes, and the area around the flame and the wings is paved with granite.
The wings stand on an artificially raised embankment ending in a bastion. Originally the names of the places where the fighting took place were set on the embankment on the roundabout side. They disappeared in the years 2004-2005 during the construction of the Central Trunk Road (Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa) and the rebuilding of the roundabout, and in 2016 they returned to the embankment thanks to the efforts of residents.
The initiator of the construction was the chairman of the Voivodeship National Council in Katowice, Jerzy Ziętek. The monument was meant to be a gift from the people of Warsaw to Upper Silesia, an expression of gratitude for help in rebuilding the capital. In the end it was funded by the Capital Reconstruction Fund (Stołeczny Fundusz Odbudowy Stolicy), and on the low wall on the south side there is an inscription: "Warszawa Powstańcom Śląskim" (Warsaw to the Silesian Insurgents).
A design competition was announced in May 1965. 116 entries were submitted, and the decision was made on 1 October 1965. The design by Zemła and Zabłocki was rated highest. The wings were originally to be carved from granite, but it was decided to cast them in bronze, which was done by the Gliwice Technical Equipment Works (Gliwickie Zakłady Urządzeń Technicznych). A collection of non-ferrous metals was announced for the casting.
Construction was inaugurated on 3 May 1966, on the 45th anniversary of the outbreak of the Third Silesian Uprising. The foundation act was walled in at that time. The foundation stone consisted of 21 urns with soil from battlefields, not only those connected with the Silesian Uprisings. The urns were placed in the crypt beneath the monument.
The monument was built on the grounds of the former park of the Katowice castle of the Tiele-Winckler family. A cemetery of Red Army soldiers had stood here earlier, and the graves were exhumed and moved to Tadeusz Kościuszko Park.
The Silesian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments entered the monument complex in the heritage register on 19 February 2024 under number A/1348/24. The entry covers the three bronze wings with the flame at their base, the embankment, the semicircular bastion wall on the roundabout side, the granite square on the embankment and the low wall with the inscription. The monument is regarded as one of the symbols of Katowice.
About 0.3 km from the monument stands the headquarters of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
About 0.4 km further on is the Stanisław Wyspiański Silesian Theatre.
About 0.8 km from the monument is the Silesian Museum in Katowice.
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