Polish War Cemetery Shahrisabz

While visiting important tourist places in Shahrisabz in Uzbekistan, tourists usually go to the most popular tourist destination like Ak-Saray Palace, which is natural, but for me, I am always on the lookout for something different, and going through the map, I saw that there is a Polish War Cemetery in Shahrisabz.

I wanted to surely check this place out, and after visiting Ak-Saray Palace, I headed towards the Polish War Cemetery, which was not located very far from Ak-Saray Palace.

History Of Polish War Cemetery In Shahrisabz

Poland got dragged into WWII when in 1939 first when the Soviet Union invaded it from the east and after which it was invaded from the west by Nazi Germany. Within few months after an understanding between Nazi Germany the whole of Poland was under the Soviet Union.

Most of the influential people from Poland were either swiftly taken away to different places around the Soviet Union, like Siberia, as a form of imprisonment, or simply vanished into thin air as a part of systematic execution.

Things took a U-turn when Nazi Germany in 1941 broke away from the earlier understanding and also attacked Soviet Union only to be liberated back by Soviet Union post the conclusion of WWII. Before it went back to Nazi Germany many soldiers from Poland were driven off to land across Asia and Europe as a part of Soviet Union force.

Most of them, stationed at Shahrisabz in Uzbekistan, were part of the 6th Lviv Infantry Division. On the 5^th of January 1942, they were ordered to relocate to Shahrisabz from Totskoye (Russia). Previously, this division was also stationed in Iran (Persia).

Back then, during WWII, the situation, especially for soldiers, was not that great, and it amplified more if the soldiers were from other countries like Poland. In Shahrisabz, most of the deaths occurred not from the war but from natural causes.

The Polish soldiers were stationed near the Kitab Railway station, which was located around 4 kilometers from Shahrisabz. The garrison at Kitab is where the soldiers were placed, which mostly consisted of tents, and the buildings were only reserved for the senior officers and the infirmary.

Polish War Cemetery In Shahrisabz

Unfortunately, the original cemetery is nowhere in sight as the site was demolished and a school was built on that very spot. The remains of the deceased were transferred to a plot near Ak-Saray Palace, which is now where the cemetery is.

A total of 256 people were originally buried in the original cemetery, which included soldiers, young boys, and volunteers.

The new cemetery is a small plot that has small tombs with stone tops, having a cross on top. At the entrance on either side, there is a marble slab with the list of names of the deceased. The number of graves do not match the total number of names as mentioned on the marble plaque as this is just a representation as the whole plot contains remains of the dead from the older graves which were demolished.

The cemetery is well-maintained and is open to visitors for free.

Location Of Polish War Cemetery In Shahrisabz

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Resources

Project of the Sybir Memorial Museum, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tashkent