The Institute of National Remembrance has criticized the authorities of Zamość and the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation for their plan to ceremoniously restore a plaque commemorating the communist activist. The plaque was removed in 2018. The event, scheduled for March 5th at the local town hall, includes a conference under a slogan taken from a Luxemburg quote. The IPN reminds that she was an opponent of Polish independence. The organization involves the Mayor of Zamość and the director of the foundation's Polish branch.

IPN's Reaction to the Ceremony

The Institute of National Remembrance, in a sharp statement, called the planned event scandalous and shameful, emphasizing Luxemburg's anti-Polish views.

Event Planned for March 5

A conference titled "Freedom is always the freedom of dissenters" and the re-unveiling of the plaque are planned at the Zamość town hall.

Organizers and Participants

The event is organized by the Zamość authorities together with the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. It will be opened by Mayor Rafał Zwolak and foundation director Achim Kessler.

History of the Plaque

The plaque commemorating Rosa Luxemburg in Zamość was removed in 2018, which was part of a broader debate about decommunizing public space.

The Institute of National Remembrance issued a firm statement, sharply criticizing the plans of the Zamość authorities and the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation to organize a ceremony honoring this activist. The event, scheduled for March 5, 2026, at the town hall, is to include a conference under the slogan "Freedom is always the freedom of dissenters" and the re-unveiling of a commemorative plaque that was removed in 2018. In its statement, the IPN described these plans as a "shameful decision" and a "scandalous action".

The conference organizers are the Mayor of Zamość, Rafał Zwolak, and the director of the Polish representation of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Dr. Achim Kessler. They are the ones set to open the meeting. In its statement, the Institute recalled the views of Rosa Luxemburg, emphasizing that she was a "staunch opponent of Poland regaining its independence" and a declared communist. Such a narrative contradicts the official historical policy of the Polish state, which promotes the memory of heroes of the struggle for independence. Rosa Luxemburg The debate about removing communist symbols from public space in Poland intensified after 2015 with the adoption of the so-called decommunization law. The law obliged local governments to remove monuments and names commemorating persons or events associated with the totalitarian system. This process has been met with mixed reception, sparking local disputes over the interpretation of history and memory.

The case of the plaque in Zamość is not isolated. One article juxtaposes it with other controversial initiatives, such as honoring King Frederick II of Prussia in Kostrzyn nad Odrą, who was co-responsible for the First Partition of Poland, or the Gdańsk term "Our Boys" in the context of soldiers who served in the Wehrmacht. This points to a broader context of disputes over historical policy and memory in various regions of Poland. The controversies surrounding Luxemburg also have an international dimension, involving the German foundation bearing her name, which gives the event an additional bilateral character. The decision to restore the plaque was met with an immediate, firm reaction from the state institution responsible for researching and disseminating modern Polish history.

Mentioned People

  • Róża Luksemburg — Communist activist, Marxist theorist, born in Zamość, who is the subject of the controversial plaque.
  • Rafał Zwolak — Mayor of Zamość, who together with the German foundation is organizing the conference and is set to open the event.
  • Achim Kessler — Director of the Polish representation of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, co-organizer of the event in Zamość.