The Józef Piłsudski Monument in Warsaw was erected to honor
Józef Piłsudski
Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Naczelnik państwa, Chief of State (1918–1922) and Marshal of Poland, First Marshal of Second Polish Republic, Poland (from 1920). He was ...
, a military leader,
Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland ( pl, Marszałek Polski) is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, Marshal is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army (OF-10) in other NATO armies.
History
To ...
and one of the main figures responsible for
Poland's regaining its independence.
This tall, bronze and granite statue
is located near
Piłsudski's Square and the
Hotel Europejski, at Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz Street.
[ It bears the inscriptions "Józef Piłsudski" and "Marshal of Poland".][
Plans to raise the monument can be traced to 1990, when the ]president of Warsaw
The city mayor of Warsaw, or more literally the ''city president of Warsaw'' (the official title in Polish is ''"prezydent miasta stołecznego Warszawy"'', literal translation ''"president of the capital city of Warsaw"'') is the head of the exe ...
Stanisław Wyganowski
Stanisław Wyganowski (7 December 1919 – 13 October 2017) was a politician, economist and urban planner. From 1990 to 1994, he was the mayor of Warsaw, Poland, and in 1990 was also the voivode of the Warsaw Voivodeship.
Biography
Stanisław ...
endorsed the request of a group campaigning for the creation of a monument to Piłsudski.[ The monument, cast in the Polish Navy Shipyards,][ was unveiled on 14 August 1995, on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, which was commanded by Piłsudski.][ The unveiling was attended by the ]President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...
, Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democrat ...
, and Piłsudski's daughter, Jadwiga Piłsudska
Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska (; 28 February 1920 – 16 November 2014) was a Polish pilot, who served in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. She was one of two daughters of Józef Piłsudski.
Life and career
Piłsudska ...
.[
The original plans called for the monument to be raised at Na Rozdrożu Square, but were later modified to site it near the Łazienki.][ This decision was protested by the supporters of the monument, who declared the new location too minor, and the monument was moved to the current location.][ The current location has been and still is seen as controversial;][ for example the statue's designer, , expressed his opposition to it in a letter shortly before the monument was unveiled, pointing out that it would cause the monument to be isolated from most ceremonies that take place on the square.]Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ( pl, Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza) is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. It is one of many such national tombs of unknowns that were erected af ...
, and during the observances for Polish Independence Day
National Independence Day ( pl, Narodowe Święto Niepodległości) is a national day in Poland celebrated on 11 November to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic in 1918 from the G ...
, which they regard as disrespectful.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jozef Pilsudski Monument in Warsaw (Pilsudski Square)
Monuments and memorials in Warsaw
1995 establishments in Poland
1995 sculptures
Józef Piłsudski