War Cemetery in Kotowice

The war cemetery in Kotowice is a cemetery from the time of the First World War on the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. It is disused and entered in the heritage register.

Who is buried here

Soldiers of three armies are buried here: German, Russian and Austro-Hungarian. The cemetery was established in 1915 and initially about 800 soldiers lay in it. After burials were moved from nine other cemeteries in 1936, this number rose to about 1200. The names of few of the fallen are known, among them Ivan Pavlov of the 13th Belozersky Infantry Regiment and Major Gerhard von Bessewitz, the highest-ranking German buried in this area.

What it looks like

The site is surrounded by a hedge, and a small chapel stands nearby. The graves are marked with six types of cast-iron crosses (three Latin and three Orthodox) and cast-iron plaques on concrete plinths. The cemetery was renovated in 2000.

Practical information

• Village of Kotowice, Myszków County.
• The cemetery is disused; respect the dignity of the place.
• The sources do not name the designer or the current custodian.