Location suggested for Smolensk victims monument
PR dla Zagranicy
Aleksander Nowacki
24.02.2015 13:25
The statue to the victims of the Smolensk plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczyński and 96 others in Russia in 2010 should be located at Warsaw’s Piłsudski Square, Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz said on Tuesday.
Stadtpräsidentin Hanna Gronkiewicz-WaltzEPP
Ahead of Tuesday meeting with President Bronisław Komorowski and the families of some of the victims, the mayor said the statue project should be selected through an international competition.
Jarosław Kaczyński, the late president's twin brother and leader of the opposition, said he was not invited to the meeting. He also said the statue should be in Krakowskie Przedmieście, near the presidential palace.
The Piłsudski Square is located in the centre of Warsaw and hosts the Tomb of the Uknown Soldier, a cross commemorating a mass held by Pope John Paul II to a million-strong congregation in 1979 and the National Theatre opera house.
Gronkiewicz-Waltz also said the “Four Sleepers” statue to the Red Army will not be returning to the streets of Praga, Warsaw’s rundown east-of-centre district. The statue was removed for roadworks connected to the construction of the metro and was originally set to be restored to its location. It will now be sent to a museum. (an)
Source: PAP, Gazeta Wyborcza