Studzienka Badylaka, Kraków

Studzienka Badylaka is a memorial well set into Kraków’s Main Square, dedicated to Walenty Badylak. On 21 March 1980, Badylak chained himself to a hydrant beside the square and set himself on fire in protest against the authorities’ silence about the Katyń massacre. A plaque placed beside the well in 1990 keeps that act in public view; Badylak’s grandson, Father Wojciech Badylak, unveiled it.

The hydrant itself was restored in 2004, when another memorial marker was added. Today, the commemoration remains concentrated in the metal plaque attached to the well, the plaque embedded in the paving, and an inscription on the well’s pedestal. What looks like a modest piece of street infrastructure therefore carries a direct account of political protest and personal sacrifice.