The Great and the Small History Preserved in the Tombstone Inscriptions of the Polish Ukrainian Borderland

The article analyzes tombstone inscriptions from eleven cemeteries located in the eastern part of the Lublin region, in which the founders explicitly or implicitly refer to historical events. The study characterizes epitaphs related to World War II and the postwar years, such as public executions, deaths in concentration and POW camps, the fire at the monastery in Jabłeczna and the death of its bell ringer Ignacy, the conflict between the communist authorities and the underground resistance, and Operation “Vistula.” The article discusses both the factual data (place names, circumstances of death) and the linguistic devices used in the inscriptions. It was found that inscriptions referring to World War II are messages with a clearly marked expressive function realized through the use of vocabulary and metaphors with a solemn, sublime tone, emphasizing the martyrdom of the victims.