The master of ceremonies, retired Col. Włodzimierz Kowalski, provided us with an extensive report, from which, due to lack of space, we use only small fragments. Sandstone and the ceramic plaque are symbols of the region; they are synonymous with the wealth of an area built on rich natural deposits and valuable raw materials exploited for centuries.
The monument is a heartfelt gift from many people and institutions. The Civic Monument Construction Committee was headed by a native of Drohobych, and thus a resident of the former Eastern Borderlands, Mr Adam Kowalski. Members of the Society of Lviv and Eastern Borderlands Enthusiasts, the Association of Drohobych and Drohobych Land Enthusiasts, the Society of Grodno and Vilnius Enthusiasts, and, as coordinator of the work, the Bolesławiec Enthusiasts’ Society worked together in harmony. “And thus the least expensive monument erected in the country in the last half-century was built in our city,” writes W. Kowalski.
We reported on the course of the ceremony in considerable detail. Let us note the names of those most deserving of the successful realization of this sound idea: the plaque was made by the “Dana” Fine Ceramics Plant of Mr Janusz Jakubowski, according to a design by artist and model-maker Paweł Buldańczyk. The Guild of Various Crafts actively joined in the construction of the monument composition (Eugeniusz Stachowski, as well as Mr Marek Syguła and Bolesław Buryło, owners of a construction company). The management of “Exbud” donated the monument’s stone, ZCh “Wizów” made a crane available, “Stalbud” donated concrete, Mr Majewski provided flowers free of charge, and the exceptionally generous sponsors who financially supported the civic initiative included: Mrs Krystyna Pawłowska, the Management of the Ceramic Plants
“Bolesławiec,” the Bolesławiec Commune Office and others. Separate thanks are due to Mr K. Niebieszczański and all participants in the patriotic ceremony. The army deserves the highest praise for placing a ceremonial orchestra at the organizers’ disposal.
In the photograph, Ola Dudek—a great-granddaughter from a Kresy family—carries to the monument an urn containing soil from the historic cemeteries of Lviv, Vilnius, Grodno, Drohobych and Stanislaviv.