The Polish Constitution does not establish the principle of state secularism but affirms its impartiality in matters of worldview and religion. According to Catholics, the state's impartiality does not preclude the presence of religious symbols—such as the cross—in public spaces. However, in the opinion of leftists, such actions violate the constitutional principle. This also reflects a differentiated approach to various religious associations across Poland. Without a doubt, in Poland, the secular nature of the state—interpreted as the absence of religious elements in the public sphere—is very rare. Moreover, permanent or temporary symbols related to the perpetuation and spread of the Catholic faith can be found in every city and village in the form of roadside crosses, shrines, and altars.

Traveling between my house in Mierzyn and my house in Dębołęka, I pass through a dozen or so West Pomeranian villages and towns; in each of them, I find a roadside cross. Dębołęka has two of them. The Polish village of 2022 features playgrounds, sports fields, and community centers financed by the European Union; it also includes mandatory church cleaning duties and wooden and metal crosses embedded in the landscape. What interests me more than their mere presence is their condition and decoration—or lack thereof.

Can the level of faith be measured by the state of a roadside cross?

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