Winning design. Image: City of Warsaw
The winning design is in the form of a curling ribbon, and it will be inscribed with the names of individuals and organisations that aided Jews during the war.
The monument will stand on Grzybowski Square, which was a part of the Jewish Ghetto that the Nazi Germans created during the occupation.
“The winning project is a comprehensive and coherent response to the challenge of the theme and the location,” concluded chairman of the jury Marek Mikos, as cited by the Polish Press Agency.
“The ribbon makes a gesture into the space of the square, corresponding with the heroism of individuals in the face of violence and death.
“It is a symbol of solidarity,” he added.
Over 6300 Poles have been honoured as 'Righteous Gentiles' by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute, with Poles making up a quarter of all those represented.
Poles faced the death penalty for aiding Jews, a measure that was not meted out in other Nazi-occupied countries such as France.
However, the subject remains a highly delicate one in Polish-Jewish relations.
Last year, Poland's Centre for Holocaust Research published an open letter protesting against the potential placement of the monument in front of the newly built Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
“Poland is a large country so there is plenty of capacity for a monument to the Righteous, but let the Warsaw Ghetto remain an inviolate area dedicated to the memory of murdered Jews.”
It is hoped that the monument to Poland's 'Righteous" will be raised in 2015. Funding is due to come from the city and state.
The winning design was created by Piotr Musialowski, Paulina Pankiewicz and Michał Adamczyk, and they received a combined reward of 70,000 zloty (16,660 euro). (nh)