Silesian Insurgents' Monument

Supposedly the largest and heaviest monument in Poland, this vast bronze edifice is one of Katowice's most famous landmarks, commemorating the three post-WWI Polish armed uprisings against the German authorities of Upper Silesia in 1919, 1920 and 1921. The monument symbolizes the heroism and sacrifice of the insurgents with an enormous bronze wing for each uprising. Designed by Gustaw Zemła and erected on the site of the city's Red Army cemetery in 1967, the monument was assembled from 350 parts and weighs a hulking 61 tonnes. The highest wing reaches 14 metres tall, making it one of the ‘tallest monuments in PL’ behind the 36m Monument of Christ the King in Świebodzin and the 32-metre high Wujek memorial cross on the other side of town (and probably a dozen other monuments in the country).