Cmentarz wojenny nr 305 Łąkta Dolna

number of votes 0

A beautiful cemetery

The number of internauts who recognized this cemetery as one of the most beautiful Polish cemeteries is 0. If you also think that it is one of the most beautiful Polish cemeteries, select the Beautiful cemetery button and cast your vote. The ranking of Polish cemeteries according to the number of votes is presented in the section Polish cemeteries. Check the option below if you think that this cemetery is one of the most beautiful Polish cemeteries. Your vote will influence the position of the cemetery in the ranking of the most beautiful Polish cemeteries presented on the website. Close

War Cemetery No. 305 - Łąkta Dolna - a cemetery from World War I in the village of Łąkta Dolna in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in the Bochnia poviat, in the commune of Trzciana. It is one of 400 Western-Galician war cemeteries built by the Cemetery Graves Division of the C. and K. Military Commanders in Krakow. Of this number, there are 46 cemeteries in the Bochnia district, in Łąkowa Dolna 3. [source: Wikipedia, 2158911]

Position

It is located on a hill called Nagórze, at an altitude of 330 m above sea level. It is located away from buildings, on the open farmland. Thanks to this, a wide panoramic view of the peaks of the Beskid Wyspowy is visible to the south. In the vicinity there are also three other cemeteries from the same battle: No. 306, No. 307 and No. 308. To these four cemeteries leads from the main roads the road road Łąkta Dolna - Leszczyna. You can enter it in Leszno from the road No. 966 Muchówka - Leszczyna - Łapanów, heading south, or from the road running through Łąkta Dolna, heading north (here the initial section is asphalted). Places where you have to turn from the main road to this side road are marked with original concrete boards on a concrete pillar. The 305 cemetery is more difficult to find because it is located on the side (eastwards) from the dirt road running from Łąkt to Leszczyna. [source: Wikipedia, 2158911]

History

124 soldiers of the German army were buried here, who died on December 6-10, 1914 during the Limanowa-Pawanska operation. They were soldiers 219 and 220 of the Prussian infantry regiment. In the neighboring fields of Łąkta Dolna, branches of the 47 Prussian infantry divisions in bloody battles fought to gain the positions of the soldiers of the Russian army, Gen. Radko Dmitryev, strengthened on the Leszczyna hill. The losses suffered, as well as the fact that the Austrian-German troops were successful in other sections of the front, which threatened to cut off supplies and laps, forced the Russians to retreat further east. In these fights, both sides suffered large losses and there are many war cemeteries around. All of them were made by the Austrians during the war, as soon as they drove the Russians further east. [source: Wikipedia, 2158911]

Description of the cemetery

It has an area of 302 m and is based on a rectangular plan. The fence is made of low stone and massive posts, made of concrete stone, covered with concrete roofs. There is a low but massive wooden fence between the posts. Entrance through a low wooden gate. The main decorative element is a monumental stone wall standing on one of the walls of the fence with a cross also made of stone and a concrete bench. Through the center of the cemetery, a row of 9 concrete stelae with cast-iron sign boards was made, on which the names of the buried soldiers and the Maltese cross with a bundle of laurel leaves are embossed. In addition, there is one cast-iron cross on a concrete plinth. On the pedestal of the cross there is a cast-iron inscription plate with embossed surnames of two soldiers. One oak grows at the cemetery by the fence. [source: Wikipedia, 2158911]

The fate of the cemetery

When designing such a cemetery, the Austrians counted on the necessity of its subsequent maintenance. Some elements of the cemetery require maintenance and periodic renovations. In the interwar period, the cemetery was still in good condition as new. After World War II, the importance of the cemetery in the awareness of the society and the then authorities decreased, because new, more recent cemeteries and dramatic stories of the new war came. The cemetery was naturally destroyed by weather and vegetation factors. It was not until the 1990s that the first world war cemeteries began to be looked after. In 1994, the cemetery was incorporated into the list of immovable monuments. In 2001, the commune of Trzciana completed a major refurbishment of the cemetery. Grass in the cemetery is cut and the cemetery is kept up to date, also by schoolchildren. On the Day of the Dead school youth lights candles at the cemetery, and every year in October organizes rallies along cemeteries. In the Trzciana commune, this action was initiated by Tadeusz Olszewski, a junior high school teacher. [source: Wikipedia, 2158911]