polish army soldiers cemetery in westerplatte

“If we came across a mound in the woods, six feet long and three feet wide, with the ground arranged in a pyramid, we would be in a gloomy mood and a voice within us would say,” There is someone buried here. “ This is Architecture.“ — Adolf Loos The cemetery is conceived as a hortus conclusus – an enclosed garden, a contemplative refuge cut off from noise, traffic, and the port. A simple, austere garden cemetery with earth graves and brick cellars recalls those built by comrades of the fallen in 1939. It honors both Polish soldiers and the entire unit that defended Westerplatte. The garden’s interior (Sacrum) is separated from the exterior (Profanum) by a wall: closed to the world, yet lifted slightly to hint at its hidden presence. The elevation respects the unchanged topography of the 1939 battlefield. Surviving trees, silent witnesses of the defense, cast shadows on the cemetery wall, becoming guardians of memory. At the center stands the cross of Captain Dąbrowski, aligned with the sunrise of September 1—the moment World War II began.