On 31 July 1847, by a decision of the Austrian authorities, the Galician insurgents Teofil Wiśniowski and Józef Kapuściński were executed. They were taken to Execution Hill, located near Kleparivska and Zolota Streets in Lwow. After being taken from the gallows, the bodies of the condemned were thrown into a nearby pit of unquenched lime. They were never found. For the people of Lviv, the Mount of Execution became a place hallowed by the deaths of heroes and a destination for patriotic pilgrimages that the authorities could not stop.

After the introduction of autonomy in Galicia and the extension of the national rights of Poles, the people of Lwów were able to honour the memory of the insurgents without major obstacles. When Kornelia Wiśniowska, Teofil's widow, died in her manor house in Majdan Górny on 16 May 1869, it was decided to commemorate the hero. This matter was finally taken up by Michał Michalski, then Deputy Mayor of Lviv. He purchased the Klepar Hill and began collecting funds for the commemoration.

Obelisk with an eagle
An obelisk topped by a soaring eagle with a commemorative inscription stood on the Hill of Execution: "To Teofil Wiśniowski, executed on this place on 31 July 1847, for the freedom of the fatherland, Lviv bourgeoisie 1895". The obelisk was erected on a mound fortified with stones. The monument was designed by the well-known Lviv sculptor and owner of a stone workshop, Julian Markovski.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the execution of Teofil Wiśniowski and Józef Kapuściński, another plaque was placed on the front of the mound. It was then that a park was created on the slopes of Execution Hill, which was renamed Wiśniowski Park. The celebrations were described in detail by the Lviv-based Słowo Polskie (1 August 1897, no. 177, afternoon edition). This account perfectly captures the atmosphere of the patriotic manifestation, which was attended by Lviv residents and numerous delegations.

Account by a Lvov journalist
On the fiftieth anniversary of the execution of the saintly memory of Teofil Wisniowski and Jozef Kapuscinski, a solemn memorial service was held today in the church of the Dominican Fathers. The pressure of the audience was enormous, the church could not accommodate all those who wished to pay tribute to the martyrs for freedom on that day, so crowds crammed into the street and filled the entire square in front of the church and Dominikańska Street. In the church, a catafalque was erected in front of the great altar. Around it, lights blazed, piles of flowers and wreaths piled up. The guilds and corporations presented themselves with banners, a dozen or so of which were flying, the city's representation stood in a group headed by the vice-president, Mr Schayer and Mr Michalski, followed by the delegations of the "Sokol" and "Volunteer Fire Brigade" in uniform, the delegation of the "Tow. Strzelecki", "Skała", "Gwiazdy" and other societies. The choir of the combined societies sang during the service. After the service, the solemn singing of "Boże coś Polskę" (God save Poland) rang out. The voices of all joined together in one great, tremendous harmony, which flowed towards heaven in supplication: "Homeland freedom, deign to return to us Lord!"

After the singing of the second song, "God's Father" - the crowds poured into the street and set off for Kleparow Hill, where the ceremonial laying of wreaths and the unveiling of the memorial plaque, placed on the Wiśniowski monument, was to take place. The wreath-laying procession was opened by a delegation from the city council, carrying an iron wreath donated by the city council to the place of execution. This carriage was followed by others. On top of the execution site, huge crowds gathered at the monument. The monument was decorated with wreaths, the most prominent of which was an iron wreath from the city council, made of thorns, with life-size chains hanging from it. On the black ribbons was the inscription: "To Heroes and Martyrs - Council of the King's Table. City Council of Lviv". This wreath is to be deposited in the museum and used during annual ceremonies. The second, impressive in size, was a wreath from corporations and associations arranged from tickets. It bore the inscription: "To Teofil Wiśniowski and Józef Kapuściński on 31 July 1897, on the 50th anniversary of their martyrdom - Shoemakers' Guild, Academy Reading, Women's Reading, Railway Reading, Lvov Printers, Handicrafts Corporations, Handicrafts Tow. "Gwiazda", Towarzystwo im. Kilińskiego, Tow. Wzaj. pom. mieszczan lwowskich, Tow. "Ogniwo", Tow. mł. ręk. "Skała", Towarzystwo Straż ochotn. Sokol", "Grono obywateli i dziatwa polska".

The shooting association laid a wreath with the dedication: "To the martyr for freedom", followed by wreaths with dedications: "To the Poles of the three partitions, To the Martyrs for Freedom" - the last words embroidered on sashes of the national colour, The Association of Christian Craftsmen "Progress", "To the Defenders of the Rights of the People, To the Polish Vassalry". The wreath from the tickets will be taken to Raperswyl, and placed in eternal remembrance of the 50th anniversary of the execution of the heroes. A representative of the craftsmen's youth, Mr Jozef Baczynski, addressed the gathering in brief words. The plaque, embedded in the monument, bears the inscription: "To Teofil Wiśniowski and Józef Kapuściński, on the 50th anniversary of their execution, this plaque was erected by the Compatriots". (...) after which "In a Dark Grave" and several patrician songs were sung. Photographer Wybranowski took a photograph of the monument surrounded by wreaths".

Mount of Execution
Another important episode in the history of Lviv is connected with the Hill of Execution. From 1 November 1918, during the Polish-Ukrainian war, it was a strategic point in the city centre. The commander of this sector was Roman Abraham, who formed his own unit, later called, from the name of the section and also because of the courage of the soldiers, the Stracenets. They successfully fought in various sections of the defence of Lviv. A few days before the capture of the city, the High Command awarded the troops with decorations. From then on, the Executioners were allowed to wear armbands on their left arm with an image of a corpse skull and the letters G. S. (Mountain of Execution).

Devastation and reconstruction of the memorial
After the Second World War the monument and its surroundings were devastated. The shape of the mound was changed, the medallion and commemorative plaques were destroyed, and the eagle disappeared from the top of the monument.

The monument was the subject of conservation works carried out by the Cultural Heritage Foundation in the second half of 2015. They included the reconstruction of the memorial plaques, the medallion and the eagle crowning the obelisk. Funds for the project were granted by the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Remembrance Foundation, and the conservation work was carried out by a Polish-Ukrainian team consisting of: Anna Sztymelska-Karczewska - manager, Orest Dzyndra and Piotr Maślanka.