The World War I Heroes Monument (Monumentul Eroilor din Primul Război Mondial) is a memorial in 1 December 1918 Square in central Botoșani. Created by Botoșani-born sculptor Horia Miclescu and unveiled in 1929, the monument commemorates Romanian soldiers killed during World War I and is centered on Major Grigore Ignat and his machine-gun company.
The sculptural group is formally titled Major Ignat’s Machine-Gun Company in the Attack (Compania de mitraliere Maior Ignat în Atac) and depicts Ignat standing with his pistol raised while soldiers around him operate and carry a machine gun. The scene refers to the fighting at Răzoare during the Battle of Mărășești in August 1917, where Ignat and the men of his company were killed while resisting the advance of the Central Powers.
The monument was created after a public fundraising campaign in Botoșani to commemorate the sacrifices made by soldiers from the region during the war. It was unveiled in the summer of 1929 in what was then Piața Carol, the present 1 December 1918 Square.
Four shields attached to the corners of the pedestal represent Transylvania, Bucovina, Bessarabia and Banat, the historic provinces brought into Greater Romania after World War I. The pedestal also carries a scythe, a symbol used in the heraldry of Botoșani, and the aurochs head of Moldavia.
