History Military Cemetery in Dytiatyn
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund
The Little-Known "Thermopylae" – Not Greek, But Polish
Near Halych, 17 km from Bołszowce, where the Franciscans run the Center for Peace and Reconciliation at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bołszowiec, and near the village of Dytiatyn, one of the most important battles took place, its consequences crucial for the entire defensive campaign against the Soviet forces. The soldiers heroically defended a small piece of their homeland – Hill 385. Nearly all combatants there gave their lives. The battle took place on September 16, 1920. Sacrificing their most precious possessions, the soldiers of a small Polish Army detachment held off the enemy for many hours – a Red Cossack division supported by a Bolshevik infantry brigade, saving their 8th Infantry Division and the Ukrainian Cavalry Division from destruction. The battle was crucial for maintaining the offensive on the Eastern Lesser Poland front.
Marshal Józef Piłsudski posthumously awarded 17 artillerymen the Silver Cross of the Order of War Virtuti Militari, and 11 officers and 41 privates the Cross of Valor. At the same time, he granted the 4th Battery the right to bear the title of the Battery of Death. The remains of one of the soldiers who died there were chosen to be placed in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw. The date and place of this battle were crowned on its columns.
At the burial site of the soldiers, a chapel-monument of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus was built in honor of the fallen, consecrated on September 21, 1930. The commanders of the nearby garrisons and invited guests regularly took part in the anniversary ceremonies. The most important ceremonies took place on May 3 and September 16. The chapel, systematically devastated after 1945, was finally dismantled by the Soviet authorities in 1947.
In 2009, Mass was celebrated there for the first time after the war for the deceased soldiers. These prayer meetings were initiated by Szymon Hatłas, a descendant of Dytiatyn residents and organizer of the Dytiatyn 1920 – Polish Thermopylae project, and Father Grzegorz Cymbała, then pastor of the Franciscan parish in Bołszowce.
Father Bronislaw Staworowski
Publications devoted to the Cemetery
Dytiatyn 1920 – Polish Thermopylae
Near Halicz, 17 km from Bołszowce, where the Franciscans run the Center for Peace and Reconciliation at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bołszowce, near the village of Dytiatyn, one of the most important battles took place, the consequences of which were very important for the entire defensive campaign against the Soviet troops.
The memory that survived
Publications devoted to the Battle of Dytiatyn and the Polish War Cemetery, which was established there to preserve the memory of historical events.
Summary of construction and renovation works in Dytiatyn
Renovation work at the Dytiatyn War Cemetery has been completed. Drainage of the cemetery grounds has been completed, and the fence has been comprehensively repaired. Renovation work at the Dytiatyn War Cemetery has been completed.
They fell in the Battle near Dytiatyn
Names, surnames and military ranks of Polish soldiers who died in the Battle of Dytiatyn in 1920.
