Last Friday (July 1st) a square in Gdansk was named after Mariupol’s heroic defence against the Russian occupation. The panel was prepared by the Gdansk Museum and National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. Soon after the table was devastated, however, it was put back up on July 7th.
Gdansk and Mariupol are twin cities since 2014. After the city was attacked this year, the councillors of Gdansk decided to dedicate a square to the civilians and defenders of Mariupol. Skwer Bohaterskiego Mariupola (Square of Heroic Mariupol) is placed at the crossroad of the streets Matka Polka (Mother Poland) and Paryzantów (Street of the Partisans), ironically close to the consulate of the Russian Federation.
The uncovering took place at 11 A.M., on July 1st. Among the guests were the president of Gdansk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz and Oleksander Plodostyi, the consul of Ukraine to Gdansk. Simultaneously, an open-air exhibition titled “Mariupol – Heroic City” was opened. It consists of photos of demolished Mariupol taken by local reporter Viacheslav Tverdokhlib.
However, on July 5th it was discovered that the table was ruined – the part “Bohaterskiego Mariupola” was covered with black paint on one side. Police have started an investigation, and the Gdansk Streets and Green Spaces Board have taken the table down to clean it up.