Powązki Cemetery

At the miniature Powązki Cemetery, figures of Warsaw residents visit their loved ones' graves. The scene portrays a personal act of remembrance, alongside a wider history involving architects, artists and people active in public life.

The real cemetery dates back to 1790. It was laid out beyond the city on land donated by the Korwin-Szymanowski family; moving burials away from densely built-up areas was associated with efforts to improve sanitary conditions.

The original site covered just 2.6 hectares. Further land was added over time, leaving its mark on the numbering of burial sections: their designations do not follow a simple sequence across the cemetery plan.

Dominik Merlini, an architect employed by King Stanisław August, designed the Church of Saint Charles Borromeo and the catacombs. The church was consecrated in 1792. The story behind this miniature therefore begins with a small cemetery outside Warsaw, rather than the extensive burial ground familiar today.