Sigismund's Column - Warsaw, Poland
Posted by: 
GeoLog81
N 52° 14.838 E 021° 00.805
34U E 500916 N 5788544
Sigismund's Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), erected in 1644, is one of Warsaw's most known landmarks
Waymark Code: WMP7BE
Location: Mazowieckie, Poland
Date Posted: 07/14/2015
Views: 20
Sigismund's Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), erected in 1644, is one of Warsaw's most known landmarks and one of the oldest secular monuments in northern Europe (the oldest in Warsaw). The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund (Zygmunt) III Waza, who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from Kraków to Warsaw.
King Sigismund III Vasa (Zygmunt III Vasa) was elected as the king of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the year 1587. His long rule, till his death in 1632, was an uneasy period, marked with wars with Sweden and the Cossac uprisings.
The column was erected in 1644, on the orders of Sigismund's son and successor, King Wladyslaw IV Vasa. The column was designed by the architect Constantino Tencalla and sculptor Clemente Molli, and casted by the bell-founder Daniel Tym. The sculpture of the king is 2,75 m high, made of bronze.
The column was renovated between 1885 and 1887. The original column cylinder, made of conglomerate from Checiny, was replaced by the granite one (you can see the original cylinder exposed east from column, near the side entrance to the Royal castle.
On 1/2nd September 1944, during The Warsaw Uprising, the statue was hit by a German projectile. The column has fallen, but the sculpture was only slightly damaged. After WWII the column was re-erected.
Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log to this waymark you need to visit and write about the actual physical location. Any pictures you take at the location would be great, as well.