Poznań Crosses
포즈난 십자가
The Poznań Crosses are a monument to the workers killed in the June 1956 Poznań protests, unveiled on 28 June 1981. Two connected steel crosses symbolize death and resurrection; the inscription reads “For freedom, law and bread. June 1956,” alongside dates associated with later workers’ struggles. Under martial law, the monument moved beyond commemorating workers to become a public symbol of Solidarity and demands for freedom.
In depth
Form and inscription
The monument comprises two steel structures, about 21.1 and 19.5 metres high, joined by a transverse beam. One bears 1956, while the other originally listed 1968, 1970, 1976, and 1980; 1981 was officially added during the 1991 renovation. An eagle head with a broken wing forms a further element of the design. In 2006, “For God” was added to the beginning of the inscription.
Politics of remembrance
The project was proposed at a meeting of representatives of the Wielkopolska Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” in October 1980 and advanced through worker-led collections and cooperation among workplaces. It was unveiled before roughly 200,000 people at the twenty-fifth-anniversary commemoration in June 1981. Under martial law, the square became a site of protest and mourning despite surveillance by the militia and security service; two young men died after being beaten during demonstrations in 1982. The Crosses then circulated in leaflets, badges, and the underground press, making Solidarity-era demands for freedom visible in public space.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (두 강철 십자가의 형태, 1981년 공개, 날짜와 문구, 계엄령 이후 상징화 과정을 뒷받침)
- monuments-remembrance.eu (기념비의 구조·비문·1981년 건립 경위와 연대·연대노조 시기의 공적 상징화를 뒷받침)