Pyrzyce removes Soviet-era monument in city centre

On 31 July 2026, the town of Pyrzyce in western Poland dismantled a Soviet‑era monument that had stood in the city centre since 1984. A large excavator with a pneumatic hammer broke the concrete structure for more than an hour while about 150 residents watched. Mayor Marzena Podzińska and Institute of National Remembrance deputy Karol Polejowski attended the demolition, describing the monument as a "Soviet propaganda object glorifying the occupiers".

The removal follows a 2022 call by the IPN, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for local authorities to eliminate Soviet symbols. Ten such monuments have already been taken down in the West Pomeranian region, and nearly 50 across Poland. The town council approved the demolition in February, and the site will be renamed "Independence Square" with a new monument to Polish independence. Parts of the former monument – the Soviet soldier’s head and the concrete base – will be transferred to the local Museum of the Pyrzyce Land and a municipal cemetery, respectively.