Gdansk – Antoni Browarczyk and Martial Law

This eye-catching memorial commemorates the life of Antoni Browarczyk and others who died in the martial law period of Polish history. It’s hard to imagine Poland being run by the military as the communist authorities felt that this was the best way to deal with growing dissent and a call for democracy. It was a pretty dire time for the Polish people and around forty people were killed by the military during the period from December 1981 until July 1983 when martial law was in force.

One of those who died was Antoni Browarczyk, aged just 19 when he was shot to death in a political demonstration in Gdansk just a few days after martial law was declared. His mother spoke to the local newspaper a few years ago, still upset and confused about what happened and how it was dealt with. The sculpture was installed here in 2016 and was designed by Gennady Jerszow and is made of bronze. The memorial is located here, near Forum Gdansk, as this is where Browarczyk was killed. Forum Gdansk, one of the most modern shopping centres in the country, is a symbol of the new Gdansk, with so much changing over the last forty years.