Information about the object:
The Ross Cemetery was established in 1801 and consists of the Old Ross, the New Ross and the Military Cemetery with the Mother and Son Heart Mausoleum. The Rossa Cemetery was closed for burials in 1965 and was entered in the register of monuments in 1969.

Nowa Rossa is located to the east of Old Rossa, Vilnius residents and soldiers killed in 1919-1920 are buried there. The soldiers' graves form a section called the Polish-Lithuanian Military Cemetery, and members of the Vilnius Self-Help, the first self-established Polish authority in the city, are buried there. The first burials on the territory of Nova Rossa took place from around 1847. However, until the beginning of the 20th century, the cemetery was not tidied up, nor was it marked on maps of Vilnius. The cemetery was regulated at the beginning of the 20th century, and land was purchased from Maurice Potocki for this purpose. The new part of the cemetery is 50 years younger than the older one. The new part of the cemetery is smaller, as it occupies an area of 4.6 ha (the total area is 10.8 ha), the gravestones are less impressive, and the people buried here are mostly ordinary residents of old Vilnius. This is evidenced by the modesty of the preserved gravestone monuments, mostly made of concrete. While the Old Rossa remained a prestigious cemetery, the New Rossa was used to bury rather indigent people.

Completed works:

2023
The task was carried out in the period 01.06 - 30.09.2023 and the main activity in Vilnius 07-14.08.2023. 15 volunteers participated in the task. The volunteers carried out cleaning works in the neglected part of the Ross cemetery. The work was carried out under the supervision of specialists and in cooperation with members of the Social Committee for the Care of the Old Rossa.

As part of the task, lectures were also held to increase knowledge and skills in heritage conservation and the history of the project site. Reports, articles and photo galleries have been produced of the activities and the locality where the work will be carried out.

2024
The task was carried out in the period from 1 June to 30 September 2024, with the main activities in Vilnius on 15-21 July 2024. 16 volunteers took part in the project, who continued the clean-up work on Nowa Rossa, which started in 2023. The work was carried out under the supervision of a specialist landscape architect in cooperation with the Social Committee for the Care of the Old Rossa. As part of the task, training was provided on heritage conservation and the history of the project site. Reports, articles and photo galleries were produced from the activities at the cemetery, training sessions and excursions in and around Vilnius. The effects of the project were presented in the media.

Funding: Polonika Institute programme "Polish cultural heritage abroad - volunteering".

More about the project: https://polonika.pl

• Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich Oddział w Bolesławcu, realizacja w latach 2023 i 2024