Soviet Soldiers' Cemetery in Bielsko-Biała

The Soviet Soldiers' Cemetery in Bielsko-Biała, on Lwowska Street, is a military cemetery where Red Army soldiers killed in 1945 are buried. It is part of the history of the city after its liberation from German occupation and of postwar urban planning decisions.

History of the cemetery

The first cemetery was established in 1948 on St Nicholas Square, opposite St Nicholas Cathedral. 28 officers and 10,634 non-commissioned officers and privates who fell between January and May 1945 in the Żywiec region and Upper Silesia were buried there. In 1949 a monument to the Gratitude of the Red Army was unveiled nearby; it was removed in the early 1990s.

In 1968 the cemetery was moved outside the centre, to today's Lwowska Street. About 300 stone gravestones and 21 collective graves were placed there, together with the Monument to the Heroes of the Soviet Army in the form of a soldier advancing in battle formation, designed by Ryszard Sroczyński and made by August Dyrda. Two Soviet 76 mm ZiS-3 divisional guns were also set up.

Practical information

• The cemetery is on Lwowska Street in Bielsko-Biała.
• The cemetery is not open to visitors; check the rules of entry with the administrator or the city office before your visit.