War Cemetery No. 279 – Dziekanów-Sterkowiec

War Cemetery No. 279 in Dziekanów-Sterkowiec is a significant memorial site related to World War I, located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in the Brzesko municipality. Built in the style characteristic of Western Galician war cemeteries, it was created by the War Graves Department of the Military Command in Kraków and covers an area of 500 m² in a forest, approximately 600 meters from residential buildings. The cemetery has a trapezoidal shape, and its fence consists of masonry pillars and steel tubes, with a double-leaf iron gate. The central point is a stone-concrete pedestal with a large wooden cross, and the earthen graves are evenly distributed along the fence, equipped with concrete borders and tombstones with crosses. Historically, soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian armies who died during the battles in November 1914, related to the Russian offensive after breaking through the Austrian defensive line, were buried here. As a result of these battles, several hundred soldiers died, and the cemetery holds the remains of 148 of them, including 124 unidentified Austrians and 24 identified Russians. After World War II, the cemetery fell into oblivion, leading to its neglect and destruction due to natural forces and vandalism. Although renovation attempts were made, and a thorough restoration was carried out between 2006 and 2010, the cemetery still requires care. In 2014, on the centenary of the battles, a Holy Mass was organized for the fallen, highlighting its cultural and historical significance for the local community. An interesting fact is that the cemetery was mistakenly reclassified to the non-existent village of Dziekanów, while it has always been located in Sterkowiec. Only a few graves have been preserved at the site, and the renovation project planned the use of duralumin and wood to protect against theft. The cemetery, as a place of remembrance, testifies to the tragedies of World War I and the fate of the fallen soldiers.