Red Army Soldiers' Cemetery in Racibórz

The Red Army Soldiers' Cemetery in Racibórz lies in a small park near Reymonta Street and the Oder. It is the burial place of Soviet soldiers killed in 1945 in the fighting for Racibórz and its surroundings. It is counted among the memorial sites connected with the end of the Second World War in Upper Silesia.

Who rests here

The cemetery contains 14 graves in which 348 Red Army soldiers were buried. In the whole Racibórz region about a thousand Soviet soldiers are said to have been killed. The necropolis was established in 1946 on the initiative of the Polish-Soviet Friendship Society, active in the town since October 1945, and the Citizens' Militia. At first the graves were tended by members of that society.

The park and the monument

The land formerly belonged to the Doms company. In 1911 its owner Franciszek Doms gave the park to the town. The central element of the cemetery is the monument to Red Army soldiers. By tradition, flowers are laid at it on 31 March, the anniversary of the end of the fighting for Racibórz. The town itself, with Racibórz Castle, lies a few hundred metres away.

Practical information

• Location: a park near Reymonta Street, on the Oder, Racibórz.
• Entry is free and the site is open to everyone; check the rules of visiting and the hours with the town office.
• It is a place of silence and remembrance, and calm behaviour is expected.