Honor Guard Held At The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier In Warsaw, Poland Editorial Photo

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. It is located at Warsaw's Piłsudski Square. The Tomb is constantly lit by an eternal flame and assisted by a guard post by the Representative Battalion of the Polish Army. The Tomb was designed in 1925 by the famous Polish sculptor, Stanisław Kazimierz Ostrowski. It was located within the arcade which was a part of the Saxon Palace. Central tablet was ringed by 5 eternal flames and 4 stone tablets bearing the names and dates of battles in which Polish soldiers had fought during World War I and the Polish-Soviet War (1919–21). During the 1939 invasion of Poland, the Saxon Palace was slightly damaged by German aerial bombing. After the Warsaw Uprising, in December 1944, the palace was completely demolished by Germans. Only part of the central colonnade, sheltering the Tomb, was preserved. After the war, in 1945, reconstruction began. Only a small part of the palace, containing the Tomb, was restored. On 8 May 1946 it was opened to the public. Soil from 24 additional battlegrounds was added to the urns, as well as more tablets with names of battles in which Poles had fought in World War II.