To mark the 80th anniversary of Polish mountaineering in the Himalayas, commemorating the Poles’ ascent of Nanda Devi East on 2 July 1939, on the 30th anniversary of Jerzy Kukuczka’s tragic death on the south face of Lhotse and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Nepal, the Polish Himalayan Climbers’ Memorial, commonly known as the ‘Polish Chorten’, was unveiled on 20 October 2019 in the Himalayas (above the village of Namche Bazaar and the Everest viewpoint in Sagarmatha National Park), the Polish Himalayan Climbers’ Memorial, commonly known as the ‘Polish Chorten’.

To reach this spot, you should take the path leading down the valley from the park entrance; although not well-trodden, it is nevertheless comfortable enough and clear of undergrowth that after about a hundred metres it leads to a vast mountain clearing with a view of the surrounding snow-capped peaks. In this truly fantastic setting, at an altitude of 3,500 metres above sea level, a stone obelisk has been erected – the Memorial to Polish Himalayan Climbers, in white and red, featuring plaques bearing the names of all the Poles who lost their lives in the Himalayas and the Karakoram and remain in the mountains forever. It is their symbolic grave.

Several dozen people from Poland took part in the ceremonial unveiling of this unique memorial site, lighting candles at the monument. There were thirty-three in total. For that is the number of Polish Himalayan mountaineers who lost their lives in the world’s highest mountains.

Representatives of the Sagarmatha National Park were also present. A traditional puja – a prayer ritual marking the start of almost all high-altitude expeditions to the Himalayas – was performed by a monk from the monastery in Namche.

“Poland was the first country to receive permission to erect this chorten, following the completion of the necessary formalities and a lengthy legislative process,” – said Marcin Mentel, who, on behalf of the Polish Himalayas Sports Club, co-ordinated all activities related to the construction of the memorial.

As he pointed out, Lokmanya Golchha, Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Poland in Kathmandu, provided a great deal of assistance in dealing with the various formalities.

“I am very pleased that the many months of efforts to obtain permission to erect the Polish Himalayan Climbers’ Memorial have been crowned with success. I must admit it was not easy, as this is a unique place. In 1979, Sagarmatha National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Within its boundaries lie three eight-thousanders: Mount Everest, Lhotse and Cho Oyu,” emphasised the Honorary Consul.

Fitting the plaques bearing the names of the 33 people proved to be a considerable logistical and technical challenge.

“It’s almost like climbing Everest. We sent bolts, screws and drill bits from Kathmandu, and a local porter carried all of this, along with the plaques, from Lukla to Namche. Whilst drilling the holes for the bolts, it turned out that the drill couldn’t cope with this material. The only solution was a much more powerful tool. One was finally found in Lukla,” added Marcin Mentel.

The chorten was built thanks to companies such as: Polskie Himalaje, Backpackers Club, the Kukuczka Foundation, Wolsztyński Running Club and Tryumf. “The construction of the memorial was supported by mountain enthusiasts. In particular, the following offered their assistance: the Sagarmatha National Park Authority, Lokmanya Golchha, as well as Janusz Adamski, Janusz Kalinowski, Dariusz Maliszewski and Marcin Mentel.”

Here are the names of those whose names have been immortalised on the plaques, who paid the ultimate price – their lives – for their love of the mountains:

Stanisław Latałło ( 17 December 1974), Lhotse (Himalayas)
Marek Kęsicki ( 28 July 1975), Middle Broad Peak (Karakorum)
Bogdan Nowaczyk ( 28 July 1975), Middle Broad Peak (Karakorum)
Andrzej Sikorski ( 29 July 1975), Central Broad Peak (Karakorum)
Andrzej Młynarczyk ( 6 October 1978), Makalu (Himalayas)
Halina Krueger-Syrokomska ( 30 July 1982), K2 (Karakorum)
Tadeusz Szulc ( 26 September 1982), Makalu (Himalayas)
Stanisław Jaworski ( 11 December 1983), Manaslu (Himalayas)
Piotr Kalmus ( 10 July 1985), Nanga Parbat (Himalayas)
Barbara Kozłowska ( 18 August 1985), Broad Peak (Karakorum)
Rafał Chołda ( 25 October 1985), Lhotse (Himalayas)
Andrzej Czok ( 11 January 1986), Kanchenjunga (Himalayas)
Tadeusz Piotrowski ( 10 July 1986), K2 (Karakoram)
Wojciech Wróż ( 3 August 1986), K2 (Karakorum)
Dobrosława Miodowicz-Wolf ( 10 August 1986), K2 (Karakorum)
Czesław Jakiel ( 14 September 1987), Lhotse (Himalayas)
Ryszard Kołakowski ( 6 October 1988), Makalu (Himalayas)
Mirosław Dąsal ( 27 May 1989), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Mirosław Gardzielewski ( 27 May 1989), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich ( 27 May 1989), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Wacław Otręba ( 27 May 1989), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Eugeniusz Chrobak ( 28 May 1989), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Jerzy Kukuczka ( 24 October 1989), Lhotse (Himalayas)
Wanda Rutkiewicz ( 13 May 1992), Kanchenjunga (Himalayas)
Sylwia Dmowska ( 2 October 1992), Manaslu (Himalayas)
Tadeusz Kudelski ( 18 May 1999), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Krzysztof Liszewski ( 25 May 2003), Mount Everest (Himalayas)
Piotr Morawski ( 8 April 2009), Dhaulagiri (Himalayas)
Maciej Berbeka ( 6 March 2013), Broad Peak (Karakoram)
Tomasz Kowalski ( 6 March 2013), Broad Peak (Karakorum)
Artur Hajzer ( 7 July 2013), Gasherbrum I (Karakorum)
Aleksander Ostrowski ( 25 July 2015), Gasherbrum II (Karakorum)
Tomasz Mackiewicz ( 30 January 2018), Nanga Parbat (Himalayas)

The commemorative plaque reads: “They remained in the mountains they loved. In memory of the Polish climbers who lost their lives whilst scaling the eight-thousanders in the Himalayas and the Karakoram.”