Memorial Plaque of the 31st Kaniów Rifles Regiment

A memorial plaque on the town hall building in Zgierz, at Plac Jana Pawła II, commemorates the 31st Kaniów Rifles Regiment and the ceremony of presenting colours to the regiment in 1927.

31st Kaniów Rifles Regiment

The 31st Kaniów Rifles Regiment was established on 26 August 1919. The regiment was dissolved in 1939 following the outbreak of the Second World War. The plaque in Zgierz town hall is one of the few surviving memorials to a unit that for twenty years of its existence was linked to the Łódź region, and whose colours were funded by the residents of Łódź county.

Colours Presentation Ceremony

On 27 February 1927, a memorial plaque was unveiled at Zgierz town hall on the same day the regiment received its colours. The colours were presented by General Lucjan Żeligowski in the presence of the regiment's commander, Colonel Alfred Vogl. It was funded by the population of Łódź county. The ceremony included a church service, the unveiling of the plaque at the town hall, a military parade and an evening ball at the Grand Hotel in Łódź.

Fate of the Colours and Plaque

The colours of the 31st Kaniów Rifles Regiment are today held at the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw. The plaque remained in its place on the Zgierz town hall, dedicated to the residents of Łódź county on the occasion of the presentation of colours to the regiment. The plaque bears an image of the regimental cross.

Practical Information

• Address: Plac Jana Pawła II 16, 95-100 Zgierz, on the town hall building.
• Access: on foot, in the centre of Zgierz, next to the Church of St Catherine of Alexandria and several hundred metres from Plac Stu Straconych.
• What to expect: a plaque on the town hall façade, with an inscription and image of the regimental cross, visible from outside at all times.