Sigismund's Column ( pl, Kolumna Zygmunta), originally erected in 1644, is located at

Castle Square Castle Square may refer to: *Castle Square, Sheffield, England *Castle Square, Warsaw Castle Square ( pl, plac Zamkowy) is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – located in Wars ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and is one of Warsaw's most famous landmarks as well as the first

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

monument in the form of a column in

modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is appli ...

. The column and statue commemorate King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt III Waza, lt, Žygimantas Vaza; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to ...

, who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

to Warsaw. On the

Corinthian column The Corinthian order ( Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

(which used to be of red marble), 8.5 m high, a sculpture of the King, 2.75-metres high, in archaistic armour is placed. Sigismund's Column now stands at 22 metres and is adorned by four eagles. The king is dressed in armor and carries a cross in one hand and wields a sword in the other.

Origins and design

;17th century Construction of Sigismund Column

Erected between 1643 and 1644, the column was constructed on the orders of Sigismund's son and successor, King

Władysław IV Vasa Władysław IV Vasa; lt, Vladislovas Vaza; sv, Vladislav IV av Polen; rus, Владислав IV Ваза, r=Vladislav IV Vaza; la, Ladislaus IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV of Poland (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of ...

. It was designed by the Italian-born architect

Constantino Tencalla Constantino is a Greek/Portuguese/Spanish given name, also an Italian surname. It is derived from Latin ''Constantinus''. Constantino may refer to: *Constantino Barza *Constantino Brumidi *Constantino Cajetan *Constantino of Braganza *Constantino d ...

and the sculptor Clemente Molli, and cast by Daniel Tym. Sigismund's Column was modelled on the Italian column-shaped monuments in front of

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...

(erected in 1614 to designs of

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno (Maderna) (1556 – 30 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Vall ...

), and the

Column of Phocas The Column of Phocas ( it, Colonna di Foca) is a Roman monumental column in the Roman Forum of Rome, Italy, built when Rome was part of the Eastern Roman Empire after its reconquest from the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths. History Erected in front o ...

in Rome (Władysław Vasa had seen both of them during his visit to Rome in 1625). In 1681 the monument was surrounded with a wooden fence, which was later replaced with a permanent iron fence. ;18th and 19th centuries The marble column itself was renovated several times in the next few centuries, most notably in 1743, 1810, 1821 and 1828. In 1854 the monument was surrounded with a fountain featuring marble

triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus'' ...

s sculpted by the German,

August Kiss August Karl Eduard Kiss, or Kiß (October 11, 1802 – March 24, 1865) was a German sculptor, known for his monumental bronzes. Life and works Kiss was born in Paprotzan (now Paprocany, part of Tychy in Poland) in Prussian Silesia. He studi ...

. In 1863 the column was renovated somewhat again, but still needed work, and between 1885 and 1887 it was replaced with a new column of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

. Between 1927 and 1930, the monument was again renovated, and was restored to its original appearance when the fountain and the fence around it were removed. Overthrown statue of King Sigismund 1945

Overthrown statue of King Sigismund 1945

;20th century On 1 September 1944, during the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

, the monument's column was demolished by the Germans, and its bronze statue was badly damaged. After the war the statue was repaired, and in 1949 it was set up on a new column, made of granite from the

Strzegom Strzegom (german: Striegau) is a town in Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Strzegom administrative district (gmina). It lies approximately north-west of Świdnica, and west of th ...

mine, a couple of metres from the original site. The original broken pieces of the column can still be seen lying next to the Royal Castle.

The inscription

On the side of the pedestal facing the

Krakowskie Przedmieście Krakowskie Przedmieście (, literally: ''Cracow Fore-town''; french: link=no, Faubourg de Cracovie), often abbreviated to Krakowskie, is one of the best known and most prestigious streets of Poland's capital Warsaw, surrounded by historic palaces ...

is a plaque bearing the words in finest lettering reads:

HONORI·ET·PIETATI
SACRAM·STATVAM·HANC·SIGISMVNDO·III·VLADISLAVS·IV
NATURA·AMORE·GENIO·FILIVS
ELECTIONE·SERIE·FELICITATE·SVCCESSOR
VOTO·ANIMO·CVLTV·GRATVS
PATRI·PATRIAE·PARENTI·OPT: MER: ANNO·DNI·MDCXLIII PONI·IVSSIT·CVI·IAM
GLORIA·TROPHEVM·POSTERITAS·GRATITVDINEM
AETERNITAS·MONVMENTVM·POSVIT·AVT·DEBET

The inscription on the bronze plate of the column: "King Sigismund III, by virtue of free election King of Poland, by virtue of inheritance, succession and law - King of Sweden, in love of peace and fame the first among kings, in war and victories not inferior to anyone, took prisoners of Tsar and Moscow chiefs, he conquered the capital and lands f Moscow defeated the Russian army, regained Smolensk, broke the power of Turkey near Khotyn, ruled for forty-four years, in the forty-fourth king" File:Kolumna Zygmunta - tablica północna.jpg File:Kolumna Zygmunta - tablica południowa.jpg File:Kolumna Zygmunta - tablica zachodnia.jpg File:Zygmunt.jpg File:Kolumna Zygmunta (zbliżenie) 02.JPG File:Kolumna Zygmunta III Wazy 2020.jpg

Gallery

Original

Image:Kolumna Zygmunta-1644-1887.jpg, Image:Kolumna Zygmunta-1887-1944.jpg,

18th century

Image:Krakow Gate Warsaw.jpg Image:Bellotto_Cracow_Suburb_as_seen_from_the_Cracow_Gate.jpg

20th century

Image:Royal_Castle_Warsaw.jpg Image:Warsaw_castle_square.jpg Image:Kolumna Zygmunta + Zamek Krolewski (1941).jpg Image:Overthrown_statue_of_King_Sigismund_1945.jpg

References

::In-line:

External links

*
Kolumna Zygmunta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sigismund Column Buildings and structures in Warsaw Monumental columns in Poland Buildings and structures completed in 1644 Monuments and memorials in Warsaw 1640s establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Rebuilt buildings and structures in Poland Outdoor sculptures in Poland Victory monuments