Józef Piłsudski Monument, Warsaw

The Józef Piłsudski Monument in Warsaw was erected to honor Józef Piłsudski, a military leader, Marshal of Poland and one of the main figures responsible for Poland's regaining its independence.[1] This 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall, bronze and granite statue[2] is located near Piłsudski's Square and the Hotel Europejski, at Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz Street.[3][4] It bears the inscriptions "Józef Piłsudski" and "Marshal of Poland".[2]

Józef Piłsudski Monument
Pomnik Józefa Piłsudskiego w Warszawie
Piłusdski statue and honour guards
52°14′29″N 21°00′50″E
Locationul. Tokarzewskiego-Karaszewicza, in front of the Piłsudski Square, Warsaw, Poland
DesignerTadeusz Łodziana
Materialbronze, granite
Height3 metres (9.8 ft) (statue only)
Completion date14 August 1995
Dedicated toJózef Piłsudski

Plans to raise the monument can be traced to 1990, when the president of Warsaw Stanisław Wyganowski endorsed the request of a group campaigning for the creation of a monument to Piłsudski.[3] The monument, cast in the Polish Navy Shipyards,[2] was unveiled on 14 August 1995, on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, which was commanded by Piłsudski.[3] The unveiling was attended by the President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, and Piłsudski's daughter, Jadwiga Piłsudska.[4]

The original plans called for the monument to be raised at Na Rozdrożu Square, but were later modified to site it near the Łazienki.[3] 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.[3] The current location has been and still is seen as controversial;[2][3] for example the statue's designer, Tadeusz Łodziana, 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.[5] Others have specifically criticized the fact that the location of the monument causes Polish soldiers to often face away from it during the guard change ceremony at the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, and during the observances for Polish Independence Day, which they regard as disrespectful.[4][6]

References
  1. Paweł Kusiak (2010). "Legenda i kult J. Piłsudskiego. Jak w Polsce doby integracji europejskiej interpretować postać Marszałka?" [Legend and cult of J. Piłsudski: How to interpret the figure of Marshal in the day of European integration] (PDF). Colloquium Wydziału Nauk Humanistycznych i Społecznych AMW (in Polish). 2: 241, 247. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  2. "Warszawa - Pomnik Józefa Piłsudskiego". sztuka.net. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  3. "Pomnik Józefa Piłsudskiego | Warszawa - oficjalny portal stolicy Polski". Um.warszawa.pl. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  4. "Polska sztuka » Pomnik Józefa Piłsudskiego (pl. Piłsudskiego)". Polskiemuzy.pl. 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  5. Rp.pl. "Pomnik Piłsudskiego - Archiwum Rzeczpospolitej" (in Polish). Archiwum.rp.pl. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  6. "Gdzie przesunąć pomnik Piłsudskiego?" (in Polish). Wiadomosci.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
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