Słupno and the memory of 1920

Słupno offers a tangible way to explore its history in August 1920: events on two consecutive days are commemorated here by different memorials. If you would like to learn not only about the Battle of Warsaw in general but also about its local connections, you can explore Słupno’s history and its different memorials.

Słupno in August 1920

On 13 August 1920, shortly after the Bolsheviks had captured Radzymin, Słupno was a gathering point for the 46th Regiment. One day later, Captain Ryszard Downar-Zapolski was killed in the centre of Słupno. He commanded the 1st Battalion of the 85th Vilnius Rifle Regiment. During the fighting, local residents supported the military by disarming and capturing Bolsheviks.

This sequence links the regiment’s gathering point with the death of a named commander. The residents’ support adds a local perspective to the military one. The history therefore cannot be reduced to a single event or person: troops, a specific loss, and the actions of the population are among the different aspects of what happened in Słupno.

Two different memorials

A memorial obelisk commemorates Captain Ryszard Downar-Zapolski. A wooden cross, donated by local residents, commemorates the victims of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw and has been restored. Both memorials relate to the history of the place, but each focuses on something different: the obelisk is dedicated to a specific officer, while the cross commemorates the victims of the battle.

This distinction gives the memory of Słupno two different scales. The obelisk focuses on an individual, identified by rank and military role; the cross commemorates the victims of the battle. Those exploring the history can thus distinguish between individual and collective perspectives, rather than treating the two memorials as interchangeable markers.

Local landmarks in Słupno

The obelisk stands in the courtyard of Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. M. Konopnickiej in Słupno. The wooden cross is located at the entrance to ul. Norwida from the old route of Road No. 8, almost opposite the Scania business. These details distinguish the two memorial sites by their precise locations: one is associated with a named school courtyard, while the other is described in relation to a road entrance and a landmark opposite it.

The cross’s location links the memorial site to a particular entrance and the old route of Road No. 8; it should not be confused with the obelisk in the school courtyard. The landmarks given for each location are therefore key to finding them. At the same time, the historical context remains clear: both memorials commemorate events of 1920, although they are not in the same place and do not commemorate the same things.

Choose a holiday apartment to match your travel interests

If you would like to make local history the focus of your choice of destination, Słupno offers a clearly defined point of interest. You can consider the events of 13 and 14 August and the two memorials, each with its own focus, as thematic points of reference for your stay. You can therefore choose a holiday apartment in Słupno based on the place itself: the deciding factor is whether you would like to include its history and its different memorial sites in your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Cegielnia, Wołomin, Tłuszcz, Zielonka, Ząbki, Radzymin, Marki, Trojany

For the main travel overview: Wołomin.