Much of my research over the years has focused on changes in so-called “places of memory”. Developments in early 20th c. art accompanied by the devastation of World War II - the Holocaust - have considerably changed our way of thinking about how to commemorate such tragic events. The evolution of the social function of a monument to an educational function (history education in places of memory) transformed its form from a naturalistic portrait (19th c. classic representation) to a symbol of an idea thus allowing architects to enter the scene. Towards the end of the 20th c. such “monuments” began taking on the function of a museum with exhibition spaces offering new facilities especially built for this purpose and equipped with multimedia and multisensory exhibits “relieving” the viewer of the burden of formulating their own conclusions. The settings of such places of memory as Thermopylae, Westerplatte or Treblinka are subject to constant change. Unfortunately, this usually means the rejection or deconstruction of the ideas of their initiators due not only to the workings of nature (e.g. the aging of the materials they were built of) but also to such human factors as a whole range of social initiatives more often than not leading to the violation of the integrity of the original spatial composition of the memorial. The need to inform, educate and explain, etc. is often demonstrated in a somewhat chaotic manner (Westerplatte) whereas, as far as the form of commemoration is concerned (reflected in modern sculptural representations), there is a strong tendency to return to figural sculptures that the less educated can easily comprehend. This article brings together my knowledge and experience over recent years: my research into commemorative art, project work and educational activity (Koszalin University of Technology and Academy of Art in Szczecin) as well as subject related literature.