Skip to content
Jan Zbigniew Bem, pomnik II Warszawskiego Pułku Artylerii Lekkiej, 1941, żelbet, Oberurnen, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Monument to the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment in Oberurnen
Jan Zbigniew Bem, pomnik II Warszawskiego Pułku Artylerii Lekkiej, 1941, żelbet, Oberurnen, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Monument to the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment in Oberurnen
Jan Zbigniew Bem, pomnik II Warszawskiego Pułku Artylerii Lekkiej, 1941, żelbet, Oberurnen, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Monument to the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment in Oberurnen
 Submit additional information
ID: POL-001922-P

Monument to the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment in Oberurnen

ID: POL-001922-P

Monument to the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment in Oberurnen

Variants of the name:
Denkmal der polnischen Soldaten

At the intersection of dirt roads and a railway crossing, on the edge of a subalpine town, there is a monument visible from afar, commemorating the land reclamation work carried out in the surrounding meadows by Polish soldiers interned in Switzerland during the Second World War. The small composition, surrounded by a hedge, consists of a reinforced concrete obelisk- sword with a blade pointing upwards and a vertical groove, alluding to the main motif of swords on the badge of the Second Infantry Rifle Division (to which the artist belonged), while in front of the obelisk is a concrete bench with an inscription in German. The archetypal simplicity of forms in such an extreme form is not found in other monuments to the Second Division. This was one of the first realisations of Bem, who studied architecture at the Zurich Polytechnic during his internment and during courses in Winterthur, and who designed very different in form to the memorials of the Polish stay and work in Switzerland. "Goniec obozowy", the magazine of the Polish internees reported in 1941 on the ceremonial inauguration of the monument. The dating is also confirmed by an inscription in German carved on the front wall of the bench: "Polnische Soldaten des 2. Warschauer Art.Reg. zum Andenken an den Arbeitsaufenthalt in Näfels und Oberurnen 1941". The inscription on the pedestal of the obelisk itself is completely obliterated. The monument is now in very poor condition: the concrete is cracking and chipping in many places, and is also covered with stains and moss.

Related persons:
Time of origin:
1941
Creator:
Jan Zbigniew Bem(preview)
Bibliography:
  • Jerzy Rucki, „Szwajcarskie wędrówki, śladami polskich żołnierzy internowanych w Szwajcarii”, Warszawa 2000, s. 148.
  • J. Zieliński, Nasza Szwajcaria, Warszawa 1999, s. 143.
Keywords:
Author:
prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
see more Text translated automatically

Related projects

1
The website uses cookies. By using the website you agree to the use of cookies.   See more