1945-2025 Monuments and tombs tell the story of the Liberation

A digital itinerary featuring some of the notable Italian monuments and tombs that tell the story of the Liberation from Nazi-fascism.

This year, April 25th carries special significance. Not only because it's the 80th anniversary of Italy's Liberation from Nazi-fascism, but also because it's a symbolic date marking the end of the Second World War. Today, several armed conflicts are still ongoing, even not too far from our country, which oblige us to reflect on the Resistance, its protagonists, and the enduring meaning of the Liberation.

The 2025 project of the Working Group for the Historical-Artistic and Touristic Valorization of Italian Public Cemeteries of Utilitalia SEFIT, aims to highlight some of the monuments and tombs that tell the story of the Liberation inside and outside cemetery walls. This initiative is presented through a digital Google Maps itinerary titled "1945–2025: Monuments and Tombs Tell the Story of the Liberation", accessible HERE.

*Photo: Verano cemetery - Sepolcreto dei caduti nella lotta per la Liberazione, © Daniele.Brundu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Preserving cultural heritage at Podgorze cemeteries

On 1st November 2023, a fundraiser was held at the New Podgorze Cemetery, while extensive renovation work has begun at the Old Podgorze Cemetery.

Fundraiser at New Podgorze Cemetery

On 1st November 2023, the PODGORZE.PL Association organised its 17th annual fundraiser at the New Podgorze Cemetery in Krakow to collect money for renovation of tombstones of historical value.

An amount of nearly 3.000 euros was collected this year and it will be spent on renovation works on one of the graves in the main avenue of the New Podgorze Cemetery. 

Thanks to funds collected in previous years, nine dilapidated graves from the early years of the 20th century have already been renovated. The graves selected for renovation have no legal owners, hence a public collection is the only way to ensure their preservation for the future generations.

Renovation of Old Podgorze Cemetery

Major renovation work has commenced in the Old Podgorze Cemetery in Krakow, the oldest cemetery in the city. 

The plans include renovation of walls, gate and pavement of alleyways. New lighting will also be introduced. Remains of the old graves will be preserved in the form of a lapidarium. Project also includes replacing of over fifty poor quality gravestones placed in the cemetery in the 1970s, with new ones, created according to the old designs. Furthermore, several graves destroyed last summer by collapsing trees will be restored to their former glory. 

The renovation should be completed by 2026 at a total cost of nearly one million euro. It is funded by Civic Committee for the Restoration of Krakow Heritage and the Municipality of Krakow.

Cemetery Tourism Study

The publication “Cemetery Tourism Study” aims to discover the model for future valorization of the Jewish part of the City Cemetery Škaljari, through the prism of cultural practice and tourism.

About the publication

The publication “Cemetery Tourism Study” was created for the needs of the pilot project of the Municipality of Kotor entitled “Rediscover, expose and exploit the conceived Jewish heritage of the Danube region” whose purpose was to rediscover the forgotten Jewish cultural heritage in the Danube region. Numerous cultural institutions from Montenegro and abroad participated in the preparation of the publication.

The study presents the historical development of the Kotor municipal cemetery, with special reference to the chronology of its development, the architecture of its chapels and churches as well as its monumental sculpture. A special section of this study was dedicated to the architectural, stylistic and chronological research of the Jewish cemetery, which is located within the City Cemetery Škaljari, and is the only one of its kind in Montenegro. The aim of the study was to discover the model for its valorization in future, through the prism of cultural practice and tourism.

The full publication is available at this link.

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Public collection in Podgorze | Krakow, Poland

On 1st and 3rd November, the Association PODGORZE.PL, organized its 8th annual public collection in the New Podgorze Cemetery in Krakow for the renovation of historically valuable graves.