War Cemetery No. 303 - Rajbrot

War Cemetery No. 303 in Rajbrot is a First World War cemetery on Paprotna hill in the Wiśnicz Foothills, in Lipnica Murowana municipality. It belongs to District IX Bochnia and is part of the European Cemeteries Trail.

Who is buried here

Soldiers of three armies who died on 6-12 December 1914 in the Limanowa-Łapanów operation are buried here. In 36 mass graves and 12 single graves lie 538 soldiers in total: 303 Russian, 179 German and 56 Austro-Hungarian. 202 people have been identified.

Design and appearance

The cemetery was built in 1915. It was designed by the Viennese architect Franz Stark, and Stefan Koloschek was put in charge of construction. Italian and Russian prisoners of war and local peasants worked on it. The cemetery has the shape of a rectangle with cut corners, is surrounded by a stone wall, and the entrance leads through a stone gate. In the centre stands a stone column topped with a cross. The graves are arranged in rows, with separate markings for German and Russian soldiers.

Today

After the Second World War the cemetery fell into disrepair, and renovations were carried out later. It is looked after by schools whose pupils organise rallies along the cemetery trail. In the area there is also the Ledóchowski Manor House in Lipnica Murowana.

Practical information

• Location: about 100 m from the Rajbrot-Muchówka road, on the edge of fields and forest. There is a small car park in the forest nearby.
• This is the resting place of the fallen, so keep quiet and show respect.