The Little Insurrectionist Monument in Warsaw's Old Town is not only a symbol of remembrance for the youngest participants of the Warsaw Uprising, but also the extraordinary story of the sculpture itself, its creator, and the scouts who led to its creation.
Unveiled in 1983, it depicts a young boy wearing an oversized helmet and camouflage, with a gun slung over his shoulder – a depiction of children forced into adulthood by war.
Learn about the history of this unique monument: from the postwar original, through the dispute over its authorship, to the ceremonial unveiling in the presence of hundreds of scouts and residents of the capital. It's a story of memory, sacrifice, and the power of a symbol that still touches the hearts of Poles today.
On October 1, 1983, the Little Insurrectionist Monument, one of the symbols of Warsaw's Old Town, was unveiled on Podwale Street in Warsaw. The monument was officially unveiled by one of the insurgents, a young scout in 1944 named Jerzy Świderski.
The bronze sculpture depicts a young boy wearing a large German Stahlhelm (insurgents wore helmets captured from the Germans), with an eagle and a painted red and white armband. He is wearing oversized boots and a camouflage fatigues (or coat), with a submachine gun (rifle) slung over his shoulder.
Monument to the Little Insurrectionist in Warsaw (Source: Wikipedia)
This monument commemorates the youngest insurgents, children and young people who risked their lives and health, even sacrificing their own life, to fight against the Germans for a free capital. It's worth noting that immediately after the Uprising's collapse, approximately 1,000 young boys – soldiers under the age of 18 – were taken prisoner by the Germans. A symbol of youthful initiative and sacrifice is Jerzy Szulc, codename "Tygrys," who enlisted in the Chrobry II insurgent group at just 10, although he claimed to be 12 during recruitment. He served as a liaison and carried reports to the PAST building.
On October 1st, the monument was erected in the Old Town during the celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the naming of the Warsaw Banner of the Polish Scouting Association after the Heroes of Warsaw. It's worth noting, however, that the image of the Little Insurgent was already familiar in Warsaw.
The monument was designed by Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz, a distinguished sculptor who created the original model for this pedestal in 1946, while still a student at the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, while also volunteering to clear the city of rubble. The sculpture itself was created in the studio of the Warsaw Reconstruction Office.
The initiative to erect a monument to the youngest participants of the Warsaw Uprising was initiated by scouts from the Warsaw Heroes' Banner of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP) as part of the 15th anniversary of the banner's naming. Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz donated his design to the scouts and prepared the free documentation needed to produce the cast at the Marceli Nowotka Mechanical Works in Warsaw. The scouts raised approximately 1 million złoty ($275,000) to cover the costs of the work involved in casting and erecting the monument.
Jarnuszkiewicz received a distinction for his work, then titled Child-Hero, in a competition for a sculpture commemorating the uprising, organized by the Association of Polish Visual Artists.
For many years, the Little Insurgent was known primarily for its numerous miniature copies, a reminder to many families of the days of the Uprising. These were distributed by Władysław Miecznik's studio as the work of Jan Małeta. In 1979, a Warsaw court ruled in favor of Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz in a dispute over the authorship of the sculpture, sometimes called Antek Rozpylacz (Antek, the Spray-gunner").
The Little Insurrecttionist Monument at night (Source: Wikipedia)
The monument's unveiling on October 1, 1983, took the form of a ceremonial scout gathering. It was unveiled by Jerzy Świderski, a scout and Warsaw Uprising participant, in the presence of hundreds of scouts from Warsaw and other Polish cities, as well as representatives of the capital's authorities and residents. A guard of honor was formed in front of the monument by the age-mates from another time of the youngest Warsaw Uprising soldiers.
On the wall next to the monument, exactly one year after its unveiling, a commemorative plaque made of red sandstone with a Scout cross and a fragment of the popular insurgent song "Warsaw Children" written by Stanisław Ryszard Dobrowolski was placed.
Children of Warsaw, we will go into battle for every stone, your capital, we will give blood — St. R. Dobrowolski
In tribute to their heroic peers, scouts of the Capital Banner
of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association named after the Heroes of Warsaw,
October 1, 1984
Translation from Polish by Andrew Wozniewicz.
