Colonel Szydlowski was the commander of the Polish units that liberated Axel in September 1944. In 1946, he was made an honorary citizen of Axel for this. As a tribute to the liberators of Axel, the monument to Colonel Zdzislaw Szydlowski stands on the square that also bears his name.

The artwork consists of three bronze plaques in a white column. The original monument was a brick bench with plaques and was unveiled in 1959 by General Maczek of the First Polish Armoured Division. Later, the plaques were executed in bronze.

After the redesign of the square in 2016, the bronze plaques were reinstalled in the new monument. Shortly afterwards, eight information boards were placed around the square and in Szydlowski Park near the former Catholic cemetery. The 'Liberation Route' (Bevrijdingsroute) signs explain the four days of struggle during the 1944 liberation of Axel.