W O J T E K
The bear that went to war
MEMORIALS
Statues and memorials to him can be found in Poland, the UK, and Italy. Details of these can be found below. There are however, also some more unusual tributes to Wojtek the Soldier Bear. Among these are a Wojtek Beer, brewed by the Beartown Brewery in Congleton England, pierniki (Polish gingerbread) featuring an image of Wojtek, and even a sand sculpture depicting Wojtek sitting comfortably on a couch, made for the launch of Wojciech Filaber's book, War Bear: Fearless War Hero.
WOJTEK POLISH BEAR PLAQUE
WOJTEK FAILS AGAIN TO CATCH A CHICKEN - London, ENGLAND
SMALL BRONZE SCULPTURE OF WOJTEK - London, ENGLAND
WOOD CARVING OF WOJTEK - Penrhos, WALES
WOJTEK THE BEAR MEMORIAL - Redbraes Place, Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
WOJTEK POLISH SOLDIER BEAR STATUE - Grimsby, ENGLAND
POMNIK MISIA / BEAR MEMORIAL - Żagań, POLAND
POMNIK NIEDŹWIEDZIA WOJTKA / WOJTEK THE BEAR MEMORIAL - Szymbark, POLAND
POMNIKA NIEDŹWIEDZIA WOJTKA/WOJTEK THE BEAR MEMORIAL - Kraków, POLAND
WOJTEK STATUE - Imola, ITALY
WOJTEK THE SOLDIER BEAR MEMORIAL - Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
The memorial was unveiled in the Princes Street Gardens, on 7 November, 2015, a very wet day in Edinburgh, as a tribute to the close ties between Scotland and Poland.
Ambassador Sobków read a letter of congratulations from Polish President, Andzrej Duda.
Those visiting the memorial are met by a smiling Wojtek: the Happy Warrior going for walks in the country lanes of Scotland with his best friend Piotr Prendyś. What a surprise for people who met them coming around a corner! Behind the statue of Wojtek with Piotr is a frieze showing scenes of Wojtek's life: from his early days as a bear cub adopted by his army companions, to his final years at the Edinburgh Zoo.
Edinburgh's Wojtek The Soldier Bear Memorial is included on the Imperial War Museums website.
WOJTEK THE BEAR DUNS MEMORIAL - Duns, SCOTLAND
WOJTEK STATUE / MIS WOJTEK - ul. Siewierska, Warsaw, POLAND
WOJTEK MEMORIAL / POMNIK WOJTKA - Poznań, POLAND
WOJTEK THE BEAR MONUMENT - Cassino, ITALY
WOJTEK THE BEAR MEMORIAL / POMNIK MISIA WOJTKA - Szczecin, POLAND
WOJTEK THE BEAR MEMORIAL / POMNIK MISIA WOJTKA - Sopot, POLAND
WOJTEK WITH WROCŁAW GNOME MEMORIAL / POMNIK WOJTKA Z WROCŁAWSKIM KRASNALEM - Wrocław, POLAND
WOJTEK THE BEAR MEMORIAL / POMNIK MISIA WOJTKA - ul. Konwiktorska, Warsaw, POLAND
MONUMENT TO WOJTEK THE SOLDIER BEAR & THE 22ND ARTILLERY SUPPLY COMPANY FROM POLAND - Venafro, ITALY
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Wojtek Stories - True or False?
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The Klub Przyjaciół Misia Wojtka (Friends of Wojtek the Bear) was established to fund the establishment and maintenance of the Wojtek the Bear Memorial in Sopot.
The bronze monument, weighing around 200kg in weight was sculpted by Paweł Sasin, a Gdańsk artist, and was unveiled on 1 September, 2019, the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Poland. It is the first statue depicting Wojtek in army uniform.
(copyright Kresy Family)
Piernik
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Wojtek is remembered in a variety of ways in different parts of the world.
The statue in Imola, the first of Wojtek in Italy, was unveiled on 19 April, 2015, the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Imola by the Polish 2nd Corps. It was the creation of Bologna sculptor, Luigi Enzo Mattei and is situated at the entry to the town, adjacent to the memorial to the members of the Polish 2nd Corps, unveiled exactly 10 years earlier.
A video of the inauguration of Wojtek’s Statue in Imola has been produced.
On 30 May 2017, Warsaw’s Przedszkole (Preschool) No 99 in ul. Siewierska, took the name Misia Wojtka (Wojtek Bear), and a statue of Wojtek was unveiled in the preschool garden.
Among the dignitaries present on this occasion was Anna Maria Anders, the daughter of General Władysław Anders.
A newsletter report on this event, including many photographs is available online.
Also at the Sikorski Museum in London, a small bronze sculpture depicts Wojtek holding a shell in his front paws.
The plaque on the base of the sculpture translates as: "Wojtek Bear Mascot of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the 2nd Corps. 22.8.1942 - 2.12.1963
22 August 1942 is the date on which Wojtek was adopted by the 2nd Transport Company (later the 22nd Artillery Supply Company). The date is confirmed in the Company's diary.
Image Credit: PISM
Alan Beattie Herriott working on the sculpture of Wojtek
Wojtek Memorial in Szczecin, Poland
Wojtek Beer
There are reportedly now more than 400 gnomes mini statues in the city of Wrocław. These originated from an anti-communist movement known as the “Orange Alternative” which was active in the 1980s, and are now a very popular tourist attraction in the city.
One of Wojtek's favourite activities was play-wrestling with his army companions. This small statue depicting Wojtek wrestling a gnome, was placed in Anders Park in Wrocław in September 2020.
Sand sculpture
As part of the Wojtek Memorial Trust's campaign to raise funds for the memorial, a Lothian bus was decorated with a 15 foot high graphic of Wojtek. The artwork for the bus was produced by Polish artist, Mateusz Jarza. During 2015, a model template of the bus was produced and distributed to promote the Project.
Information plaque
The bronze statue of Wojtek in Szymbark, Poland, was unveiled on 17 September, 2013 as part of the Sybiraks’ Day commemorations that year.
The statue was created by Gdańsk sculptor, Izyda Srzednicka-Sulkowska. It is 185cm tall, which was Wojtek’s height. Former President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, was an official guest at the unveiling of this memorial.
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A timber carving of Wojtek standing in a tent was unveiled at the New Zoo in Poznań on 30 September 2018. A road leading to the Zoo had been named in honour of Wojtek two years earlier.
As well as honouring Wojtek’s memory, the Poznań Zoo provides a home for bears which have survived difficult life circumstances.
A report on this memorial, including a gallery of 30 photographs taken of the unveiling ceremony can be found on the epoznan.pl website.
Redbraes Memorial, Edinburgh Click on images to enlarge
A Memorial to Wojtek was unveiled at the Polish War Memorial in Redbraes Place, Edinburgh on 14 November, 2010. Video footage of the dedication ceremony is available online: Part 1 and Part 2.
A set of 18 photographs of the unveiling can also be viewed on the website of photographer, Derek Crowe.
Three of these ceramic plaques were made by artist, Otto Maciąg (1918-2000). One was made for Edinburgh Zoo, one for the Imperial War Museum in London, and the third is in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
The dimensions of the plaque are: depth 44 mm
height 368 mm
width 184 mm
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Wojtek's memorial in Kraków was funded by members of the city's community who wanted to preserve his memory, and also of the battles he and his army companions fought.
The statue was sculpted by Wojciech Batko and unveiled on 18 May, 2014, the 70th Anniversary of victory at the Battle of Monte Cassino. It stands in Park Jordana (Jordan Park), Błonia grasslands in Kraków. Wojtek’s right paw points in the direction of a statue of General Władysław Anders.
A video was produced of the unveiling of the statue.
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Image Credit: iwm.org.uk
A timber statue of Wojtek stands guard over a plaque commemorating the Carpathian Lancers Regiment, members of which were based at Weelsby Woods from 1945-47. Members of the Regiment chose Wojtek as their mascot.
The memorial in Weelsby Woods, Grimbsy was unveiled on 28 November 2011. It is included on the War Memorials Online website.
A short video featuring the Carpathian Lancers Regiment Memorial, including the statue of Wojtek, is also available.
Cast in bronze, this sculpture, which has been at the Sikorski Museum in London since 1985, was created by sculptor, David Harding.
It was originally commissioned in 1972 for the Post House Hotel at the entrance of Edinburgh Zoo. The inspiration for the sculpture came from a story in Geoffrey Morgan and Wiesław Lasocki’s book, Soldier Bear, describing Wojtek trying to trap chickens in a box, using grain to tempt them – he apparently never succeeded.
On 1 September 2021, the first day of the 2021/22 school year, a wooden carving of Wojtek was unveiled at the LXII Liceum Ogólnokształcące Mistrzostwa Sportowego im. Gen. Broni Władysława Andersa w Warszawie, a secondary school in Warsaw, specialising in sport.
The school, dedicated to General Władysław Anders, is also known as Sportowy Anders. The statue of Wojtek has been erected there in honour of Anders Army and all its members, including Wojtek.
The statue of Wojtek was unveiled by two local councillors.
Additional information, including photographs can be found on the school's website.
Wojtek and his companions in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company were stationed in Venafro during the Battle of Monte Cassino.
A memorial at the location of their base camp was unveiled on 17 May 2022. This was a joint project by the Associazione Winterline Venafro Onlus and the Associazione Centro Studi Politici.
Wojtek's memorial in the Princes Street Gardens, commissioned by the Wojtek Memorial Trust, was sculpted by Alan Beattie Herriot.
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Image Credit: Bartek Furdal
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Poland's ambassador to the UK, Witold Sobków and Donald Wilson, Edinburgh's Lord Provost, were among the dignitaries who took part in the unveiling ceremony. Other guests included Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, representatives of the Polish government as well as sponsors and contractors.
Image Source: Kapitel, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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The statue of Wojtek in Cassino, Italy, was unveiled on 15 May 2019, the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino. Among those at the ceremony were Anna Maria Anders, the daughter of General Władysław Anders, and Wojciech Narębski (Mały Wojtek), who served in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company with Wojtek.
The statue is carved from marble, is 1.5 metres in height and weighs approximately 250kg. The installation of the monument was the initiative of Carlo Maria D'Alessandro, the former Mayor of Cassino. The statue stands in Piazza XV Febrarrio at the bottom of the historic hill, Monte Cassino.
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Image credit - http://www.pmp.org.pl
Image Source: epoznan.pl
A wood carving of Wojtek was brought to Penrhos by Stanisław Gieszczykiewicz-Jaroń when he and his wife moved into the Penrhos Polish Village near Pwllheli in 2004. The carving, which measures 80cm in height, 40cm in width, with a circumference of 133cm, was placed outside Mr and Mrs Gieszczykiewicz-Jaron's flat where it remained for many years.
Mrs Gieszczykiewicz-Jaron died in 2012, whereas Mr Gieszczykiewicz-Jaron moved away leaving Wojtek behind. Over the years the weather took its toll, and the wood Wojtek was carved from started to rot and split. In 2020, one of the residents of the village, Józef Kopydlowski spent time repairing and strengthening the sculpture of Wojtek, and gave it a new coat of paint. It now stands outside the main office of the Village complex.
Wojciech Narębski with the unveiled memorial
Image Source: scotsman.com
Image Source: http://www.polskaniezwykla.pl/
The first statue of Wojtek in Poland was unveiled by Wojciech Narębski (Mały Wojtek) in Plac Słowiańki in Żagań on 7 June, 2013. The statue was created by Stanisław Grzesiowski as part of a Project managed by Wioletta Sosnowska. This Project also included the development of a comic version publication detailing Wotek’s story in English, Polish, Italian and French.
There is a Polish television news report of the unveiling of the statue.
The people of of Żagań donated a replica of this statue to its sister town, Duns in Scotland in 2016.
Detail of plaque on Wojtek statue at Sportowy Anders
Image source: Twitter
Image Credit: Twitter
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Detail of the frieze behind the statue of Wojtek at Princes Street Gardens
(copyright Kresy Family)
Detail of Wojtek figure on rock
This monument, depicting Wojtek with his front paws leaning on a crate of ammunition, was unveiled in Skwer Misia Wojtka (Wojtek Bear Square) in Szczecin on 23 May 2019.
The statue was created in bronze by sculptor, Bogdan Ronin-Walknowski, and weighs 400kg.
Penrhos Polish Village Click on images to enlarge
The memorial was unveiled by Aileen Orr, author of Wojtek the Bear - Polish War Hero, and founder of the Wojtek Memorial Trust, and by Wojciech Narębski (Mały Wojtek) who served with Wojtek in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps.
Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, prior to the unveiling
Image Source: iochota.pl
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Wojtek bus in Edinburgh. Bus model template
Image Credit: flickr
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Memorial plaques
Wojtek’s statue in Duns, Scotland was unveiled in the town’s Market Square on 24 April, 2016, 70 years after the Battle of Monte Cassino.
The statue, made of fibreglass, was gifted to Duns by its Polish twin town of Żagań, where an identical statue of Wojtek was unveiled in 2013.
A television news reportof the unveiling of the statue at Duns is available online.
Wojtek the Soldier Bear Memorial,
Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
(copyright Kresy Family)
Carpathian Lancers Regiment Memorial, Weelsby Woods, Grimsby, England
Image Source: https://trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl/
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Wojtek the Bear Duns Memorial