Falling under the scope of a project first initiated in 2019, Wounds of Memory seeks to bring attention to the surviving traces of war. The work of Monument Conservator Office for the Capital City of Warsaw, it’s organizers have emphasized the increasing need to protect what elements have survived the vicissitudes of time.
“The project is devoted to the material traces of military operations in Warsaw, preserved to this day in various parts of the city – traces of gunshots on building façades and walls, bullet holes, damage to façades and walls, wall inscriptions from World War II,” says the conservator’s office.
“The aim of the project is to examine, develop a catalogue and protect material traces of memory of World War II destruction which testify to the painful history of the city.”
This has become especially relevant due to the capital’s ongoing modernization. With more traces of war disappearing by the day, the conservator’s office has urged people to think twice before obliterating such elements.
“Covering up of “wounds of memory” destroys that memory of the city thus causing the loss of its identity, defined as the sum of preserved traces of its past,” they say.
Described as a “commemoration project”, the Mokotów route takes in several buildings still scarred and pitted with bullet holes.
Furthermore, those following the trail will also see a post-war sign declaring an area to be free of mines and booby traps, as well as some graffiti from the occupation depicting a swastika hanging from a gallows.
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