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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko

monument in Włocławek, Poland

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 29, 2026
Entity authorityQ54889389 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko is a monument in the form of a cross, located next to the dam in Włocławek, at the site where the body of the murdered priest Jerzy Popiełuszko was found, erected to commemorate his martyrdom at the hands of the communist Security Service (PRL). It was created on the initiative of the bishops of Włocławek, Jan Zaręba and Henryk Muszyński. It was consecrated on 7 June 1991 by Pope John Paul II. The monument was designed by artists Jerzy Kalina and Andrzej Krawczyk.

Monument

It is a several-metre-high metal and glass structure designed by Jerzy Kalina and Andrzej Krawczyk. It was originally intended to stand next to the dam as a monument to the martyrdom of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. The cross monument was made at the request of Bishop Henryk Muszyński by employees of the Włocławek Nitrogen Works.

It was erected on a peninsula at the foot of the Włocławek dam. It is illuminated from the inside at night.

The first cross was to be erected here as early as 1984, after the crime against the priest was revealed. On 13 November 1984, Bishop Jan Zaręba sent a letter with such a request to the governor of Włocławek.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko” is monument in Włocławek, Poland. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Cross, Monument and Father, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1991, 1984—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Cross, Monument and Father is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “monument in Włocławek, Poland” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q54889389. Authority coordinates are 52.661, 19.131. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1991 and 1984.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko primary sources, The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko archive and Cross research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “The Cross Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.