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The monument stands in the old German part of the cemetery in Sowno, near the neo-Gothic church of St. Mary Magdalene, in the heart of the Goleniów Forest, about 16 km from Stargard. It is a relatively modest stone obelisk, originally used by the German community as a tribute to the fallen from the Sowno (Hinzendorf) area, The inscriptions are currently difficult to read

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The first church together with the cemetery was built in Stare Czarnowo in the southern part of the village at the end of the 12th century. In the 15th century it received the status of a parish church. It was destroyed by fire in 1531, then rebuilt in the 16th century. In 1826 it was thoroughly rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style. During World War II it was used as a warehouse. As a result, it was seriously damaged. The building is located on a small hill in the central part of the unused cemetery. It was built on a rectangular plan. A pentagonal, narrower chancel is connected to the body. At the south-eastern corner there is a sacristy. On the western side there is a slender wooden tower with two storeys, built over the western part of the nave, topped with a pyramidal spire with a pennant. Inside the church, the walls and wooden ceiling are smoothly plastered.

The monastery church was originally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and its construction began at the same time as the entire monastery, in 1210. Initially, the temple was built in the late Romanesque style, and it was completed in the Gothic style in 1347. After the secularization of the monastery in the 16th century, the main nave was transformed into a granary. The original 15th-century altar, which was originally located in the temple, can now be seen in the Basilica of St. James in Szczecin. During the period when the monastery was in operation, deceased Pomeranian princes were buried there. Unfortunately, in 1720, the side naves were demolished. On the wall of the church, you can see a blind rosette, which, according to legend, was made by a blind person.

In the 1980s, the church was renovated. The roof and tower were replaced. Originally, there were shingles. Currently, the tower is being renovated again.

The monumental church in Kołbacz is closely associated with the Cistercian order, which was brought to these lands in 1173. The first mention of the church dates back to 1186, but it was probably a wooden church. The construction of the brick temple began in 1210, and the construction lasted almost 140 years. During this time, the church suffered a fire twice and had to be rebuilt. The church served its functions until 1534, when the order was dissolved as a result of the Reformation. Such a large building was no longer needed, so it was divided into two parts. The eastern part of the chancel was designated for the needs of the Protestant church, and the main nave was converted into a grain warehouse by building five wooden ceilings inside. In the 17th century, as a result of a fire, the vaults in the side naves of the church collapsed and were never rebuilt. In the 18th century, they were completely demolished. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, several renovations were carried out on the church, significantly transforming it. From that period come, among others: new, larger windows in the northern chapel. New vaults and a new bell tower on the roof were also built. After the war, the church was also used as a warehouse. The church has been undergoing renovation for a dozen or so years, but it is still not finished, and the church is not fully used.

In the Middle Ages, there was a princely stronghold in Kołbacz. In the 12th century, these lands belonged to Warcisław II Świętoborzyc, the castellan of Szczecin, who in 1173 brought Cistercians to the area from the Danish monastery in Esrum. Construction of the monastery complex began in 1210 in the Romanesque style and was completed in 1347 in the Gothic style. The monastery buildings were largely destroyed by the Thirty Years' War and the fire in 1662. The church, the Abbot's House and the Conversos' House have remained to this day.