Sigismund's Column, Warsaw II
Sigismund’s Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), originally erected in 1644, anchors Warsaw’s Castle Square. It is one of Warsaw’s most famous landmarks as well as the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history. The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 had moved Poland’s capital from Kraków to Warsaw.
Erected between 1643 and 1644, the column was constructed on the orders of Sigismund’s son and successor, King Władysław IV Vasa. It was designed by the Italian-born architect Constantino Tencalla and the sculptor Clemente Molli and was cast by Daniel Tym. The marble column itself was renovated several times in the next few centuries, most notably in 1743, 1810, 1821 and 1828. 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.
On 1 September 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, 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 mine, a couple of metres from the original site.
Castle Square (Polish: plac Zamkowy) is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – in Warsaw’s Old Town. It is a popular meeting place for tourists and locals. The square, of somewhat triangular shape, features the landmark Sigismund’s Column to the south-west, and is surrounded by historic townhouses.
The dukes of Mazovia, and then the Polish kings and grand dukes of Lithuania lived here from the the 16th to 18th centuries. The column commemorating King Sigismund III of Poland (a work by Clemente Molli, erected in 1644) is the oldest and one of the symbolic landmarks of the city and the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history.
Castle Square was destroyed during German and the planned destruction of Warsaw, after the failure of the Warsaw Uprising.
This square has witnessed many dramatic scenes in Polish history. Patriotic demonstrations took place there during the period before the outbreak of the January uprising of 1863. On 27 February 1861, Russian bullets killed five people. On 8 April 1861 five rota of infantry and two troops of Russian cavalry (about 1,300 people) led by General Stepan Aleksandrovich Khrulyov carried out a bloody massacre of civilians, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people.
During martial law the square became the scene of the particularly brutal riot, with ZOMO police rushing through demonstrations on 3 May 1982.
The square is a hub for tourists and locals, who gather to watch street entertainers, participate in rallies, watch concerts and even engage in breakdancing.
Warsaw Old Town is, as one might surmise, the oldest portion of the city, and contains numerous historic buildings, mostly from 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Royal Castle, city walls, St. John’s Cathedral, and the Barbican. The settlement itself dates back to the 13th Century, and was granted town privileges c. 1300.
During World War 2, the Old Town was badly damaged by the Luftwaffe in 1939, and then almost completely destroyed in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. It was subsequently rebuilt with enormous attention to recreating much of what had been there before. The project was the world’s first attempt to resurrect an entire historic city core and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1980. The reconstruction efforts were again recognized in 2011 when all its documents and records were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.
This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia and translations from the Polish Wikipedia.
Sigismund's Column, Warsaw II
Sigismund’s Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), originally erected in 1644, anchors Warsaw’s Castle Square. It is one of Warsaw’s most famous landmarks as well as the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history. The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 had moved Poland’s capital from Kraków to Warsaw.
Erected between 1643 and 1644, the column was constructed on the orders of Sigismund’s son and successor, King Władysław IV Vasa. It was designed by the Italian-born architect Constantino Tencalla and the sculptor Clemente Molli and was cast by Daniel Tym. The marble column itself was renovated several times in the next few centuries, most notably in 1743, 1810, 1821 and 1828. 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.
On 1 September 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, 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 mine, a couple of metres from the original site.
Castle Square (Polish: plac Zamkowy) is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – in Warsaw’s Old Town. It is a popular meeting place for tourists and locals. The square, of somewhat triangular shape, features the landmark Sigismund’s Column to the south-west, and is surrounded by historic townhouses.
The dukes of Mazovia, and then the Polish kings and grand dukes of Lithuania lived here from the the 16th to 18th centuries. The column commemorating King Sigismund III of Poland (a work by Clemente Molli, erected in 1644) is the oldest and one of the symbolic landmarks of the city and the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history.
Castle Square was destroyed during German and the planned destruction of Warsaw, after the failure of the Warsaw Uprising.
This square has witnessed many dramatic scenes in Polish history. Patriotic demonstrations took place there during the period before the outbreak of the January uprising of 1863. On 27 February 1861, Russian bullets killed five people. On 8 April 1861 five rota of infantry and two troops of Russian cavalry (about 1,300 people) led by General Stepan Aleksandrovich Khrulyov carried out a bloody massacre of civilians, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people.
During martial law the square became the scene of the particularly brutal riot, with ZOMO police rushing through demonstrations on 3 May 1982.
The square is a hub for tourists and locals, who gather to watch street entertainers, participate in rallies, watch concerts and even engage in breakdancing.
Warsaw Old Town is, as one might surmise, the oldest portion of the city, and contains numerous historic buildings, mostly from 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Royal Castle, city walls, St. John’s Cathedral, and the Barbican. The settlement itself dates back to the 13th Century, and was granted town privileges c. 1300.
During World War 2, the Old Town was badly damaged by the Luftwaffe in 1939, and then almost completely destroyed in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. It was subsequently rebuilt with enormous attention to recreating much of what had been there before. The project was the world’s first attempt to resurrect an entire historic city core and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1980. The reconstruction efforts were again recognized in 2011 when all its documents and records were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.
This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia and translations from the Polish Wikipedia.