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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw photo by Rakoon-

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw

The tomb of the unknown soldier is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, honoring the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland.

The world wars spread much violence that eliminated the lives of many soldiers and civilians short and while it isn’t a crime to forget the lives lost then, it’s sadder to not honour the remains and history of the legacy left behind, especially by the soldiers of war.

The tomb of the unknown soldier is one of the many national tombs of the unknown that was erected after World War 1, and the most important such monument is in Poland. The monument is the only surviving part of the Saxon palace and is located at Pilsudski square.

Here are the top 10 outstanding facts about the tomb of the unknown Soldier, Warsaw.

1.The first to initiate the idea were several Warsaw newspapers

In 1923, a group of unknown Varsovians laid before Warsaw’s Saxon palace and the adjacent Saxon Garden, a stone tablet commemorating all the unknown Polish soldiers who died in World War 1 and the subsequent polish Selsoviet war.

The initiative that saw the monument gaining notice was led by several Warsaw newspapers and by general Wladyslaw Sikorski, who was a Polish military and political leader.

2.Four unknown soldier candidates for World War I were selected

On April 4^th,1925, the polish ministry of War selected a battlefield from which the ashes of the unknown soldier would be brought to Warsaw.

Through drawing of lots the battlefield of Lwow, where a battle transpired between Polish and Ukrainian forces in 1918 and 1919.

3.The coffins were selected by the mother of a deceased soldier

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland photo by . Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Hostutler-

The location of the choosing of the deceased unknown soldiers took place at Lwows Cemetery of the defenders of Lwow on October 1925.

Upon arrival, three coffins were unearthed: a sergeant, a corporal and a soldier without rank but wearing the characteristics cap worn by boy volunteers.

The three coffins were closed and a polish Armenian woman named Jadwiga Zarugiewiczowa, who was a mother of a soldier who had fallen at Zadworze and whose body had never been found.

The mother chose to volunteer to select the unknown soldiers, who like her son, one of the Lwow eaglets- the polish teenagers who took it upon themselves to defend the city during the siege.

The soldier chosen from the site was determined by doctors upon examination to have been 14 years of age. He had wounds to his leg and head and it was concluded although very young he died a heroic death.

4.A mass was held for the fallen soldiers

The coffin of the soldiers chosen to represent thousands of other fallen soldiers during World War I was transported on October 30^th to the cathedral in Lwow.

During the procession, a large crowd gathered along the route and the street and were dressed in red and white flags.

The coffins were transported using a train with open doors so that the crowds could get a look at the fallen young hero.

Upon arriving in Warsaw, the coffin was placed on a gun carriage drawn by six horses and transpired to St. John’s Cathedral, where a mass was held.

The remains of the unknown soldier were taken to its final resting place beneath the colonnade connecting the two wings of the Saxon Palace.

The coffin was buried along with fourteen urns consisting of souls from different battlegrounds.

5.The monument has an honour guard protecting it

Soldiers_in_the_Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier,_Warsaw photo by Ethan Doyle White-

The Tomb of the unknown soldier in Warsaw is guarded every day and has honour guards signed to watch over it.

The tomb is continuously lit by an eternal flame which is assisted by a guard post provided by the three companies of the first Guards Battalion, Representative honour Guard Regiment of the polished Armed Forces. The guard changes position every full hour,365 days a year.

6.The tomb was damaged during World War 2

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland photo by Unknown-

The tomb’s peace was short-lived and the siren of war disturbed the peace of the unknown soldier, during World War 2 the tomb faced the wrath of bombs raining on Warsaw.

The bombing started with the aerial bombing campaign of Warsaw by the Germans raids during the Warsaw uprising in 1944.

In the course of the war at least 85% of the city was destroyed due to the mass bombing of Germans.

The tomb was damaged during the war 2 when the Saxon palace that hosted the tomb was blown up by the Wehrmacht, only the colonnade containing the tomb was spared by luck.

7.German soldiers defied an order to bomb the tomb

During the invasion of Poland by the Germans in 1939, the building containing the tomb of the Unknown soldier was damaged by aerial bombing, but it was later rebuilt and seized by the German authorities.

What makes the tomb story stand out during the war, unscathed is not due to mystery or power but by the honour, it earned even among its enemy.

The German sappers were ordered to demolish the entire palace by their superiors but they refused to destroy the part that contained the tomb and its memorial, in their way they honoured and accorded the respect the long-gone soldier deserved.

8.The tomb was severally reconstructed

When World War two ended Poland was recovering from the aftermath of the much destruction it had received, and in late 1945 the reconstruction of the tomb of the unknown soldier began and only a small part was restored by Henry Grunwald.

The tomb was once more opened to the public on 8 may 1946 and soil from 24 additional battlegrounds was added to the urns.

There were also extra tablets with names of battles in which poles had fought in World War two.

The communist authorities erased all traces of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920, and only a few of the Polish Forces battled in the west were recorded.

This was later corrected in 1990 when complaints were brought forward and Poland had regained its political autonomy.

9.The tomb was designed by a renowned sculptor

The design of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw was executed by the famous polish sculptor, Stanislaw Kazimierz Ostrowski.

The tomb is situated within the arcade that linked the two symmetrical wings of the Saxon Palace.

The central tablet was ringed by 5 eternal flames and four stone tablets displaying the names and dates of battles that the Polish soldiers fought in World War One and the polish Soviet war.

10.Several military functions were held in the tomb

The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil laid wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier, at Warsaw, Poland on April 24, 2009 –

The tomb has become a site where the most official military commemoration takes place in Poland.

It’s where the ceremonial changing of the guard and laying of wreaths by representatives of the authorities take place during the national holidays and official visits of foreign delegations.