Charles de Gaulle Monument (Pomnik Charlesa de Gaulle''a) - Warsaw, Poland
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vraatja
N 52° 13.892 E 021° 01.291
34U E 501469 N 5786790
Charles de Gaulle monument erected at Charles de Gaulle Roundabout in Warsaw in May 2005 is a gift from the French government.
Waymark Code: WMK2XB
Location: Mazowieckie, Poland
Date Posted: 02/05/2014
Views: 15
"The Charles de Gaulle Monument is a relatively new statue in the centre of Warsaw, unveiled on March 15, 2005. You can find the French statesman standing on his plinth in front of a chestnut tree behind a very interesting building which is the Warsaw Banking and Financing Centre. This piece of work was created by French sculptor Jean Cadot. It is actually exact copy of the statue which stands in the Champs Elysees in Paris.
Why Warsaw has a very busy roundabout named after the French general and the French government gave the monument as a gift to the city? Charles de Gaulle actually has ties with Warsaw. He lived for two years in the area where the roundabout now is and after the First World War carried on serving in the Army. He was part of the French mission to Poland where he acted as an instructor to the Polish Infantry during Poland’s war with communist Russia. For his skilful operations in the Ukraine close to the River Zbrucz he was awarded the Sans Cross, a class V award of the prestigious Polish military award known as the Virtuti Militari. The Frenchman had a successful career in the Polish Army, was promoted to commandant and could have stayed in the country if he wanted to and carried on with his army career. He chose to return to his homeland, France."
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