Renovation works at the Mausoleum at Majdanek, one of the most important memorial sites for the victims of the German Nazi concentration camp in Lublin, have been completed. As of 1 July 2025, the site is open to the public again. This is the first ever comprehensive renovation of the building.
Scope of work on the Mausoleum and its surroundings
The scope of the works included both the monument itself and its surroundings. The work included replacing the roof covering with a glass skylight, cleaning and maintaining the concrete surfaces of the dome and frieze, and repairing damaged elements of the bowl and slopes that are an integral part of the structure. The electrical installation and lighting were replaced and the squares, steps and pavements around the Mausoleum were repaired. During the activities carried out, the ashes of the victims inside, collected at the site of the former camp after its liquidation in 1944, were secured. The cost of the recently completed works amounted to almost PLN 8.4 million. The entire investment was financed from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Mausoleum as part of the Monument to Struggle and Martyrdom
The Mausoleum is one of the key elements of the Monument to Struggle and Martyrdom, which it forms together with the Gate Monument and the Path of Homage and Remembrance. The author of the entire spatial composition was Viktor Tolkin, and the architectural design was prepared by Janusz Dembek. The complex was erected in 1969. Its focal point is a monumental dome 14.5 metres high and 35 metres in diameter, supported by three pillars. The exterior façade is decorated with concrete cladding in abstract forms and copper plating. At the top is a skylight and above the main entrance is a quote from the poem ‘Requiem’ by Franciszek Fenikowski: “Our fate is a warning to you”.
Symbolism and ashes of the victims
Beneath the dome is a syenite-lined bowl in which rests earth mixed with the ashes of prisoners. It comes from a mound built in 1947. In later years, it was treated with a special chemical solution to prevent erosion and overgrowth by vegetation. The Mausoleum’s form was inspired by a Slavic burial urn, which gave the whole a symbolic character of a transition between the world of the living and the dead.
Unveiling ceremony of the monument in 1969
The ceremonial unveiling of the monument took place on 21 September 1969. The event was attended by representatives of the highest state authorities and the number of people gathered reached about 100,000. Since then, the Mausoleum has become one of the most important points on the map of Poland’s historical memory and a symbol of the tragedy that took place during the German occupation.
Historical background to the creation of the camp
The German Nazi concentration camp at Majdanek was established on the orders of Heinrich Himmler. It was originally intended to accommodate between 25,000 and 50,000 people used as labour. In 1943 it was transformed into the Konzentrationslager Lublin. The prisoners sent to the camp came from almost 30 countries, mainly Poland, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. Of the approximately 80,000 victims, the most numerous group were Jews, nearly 60,000 of whom died at Majdanek.
Source: State Museum at Majdanek
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