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In 1920, a war cemetery was constructed near the entrance to honor 164 Polish soldiers who lost their lives in the city during the Polish-Soviet War and Polish-Lithuanian War. In 1935-1936, it underwent reconstruction, overseen by Wojciech Jastrzębowski, who also designed the tombstone that now holds the heart of Józef Piłsudski.
From that time until September 18, 1939, when the Red Army occupied the city, a trio of soldiers stood as an honorary guard at the cemetery continuously. In 1939, three unidentified soldiers, refusing to surrender their arms to the Soviets, were fatally shot on the spot and now rest beside Marshal Piłsudski's heart.
Within the cemetery, there are also graves of Polish Home Army soldiers who died during the Wilno Uprising. Unfortunately, after World War II, their graves were destroyed, but in 1993, with the support of the Republic of Poland's funds, they were reconstructed to honor their memory once more.
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