Description of the attraction
Sigismund's Column is one of the most famous architectural monuments in Warsaw, located on the Castle Square.
The column was erected in 1644 by order of King Vladislav IV in honor of his father, King Sigismund III Vasa. The project was created by architects Augustin Locci and Constantino Tencallo. The column was modeled after the Italian columns in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Phoca columns in Rome. The statue of King Sigismund was cast from bronze by the court caster Daniil Tym according to the design of the sculptor Clemente Molly. In 1681, the monument was surrounded by a wooden fence, which was later replaced by a permanent iron fence. The statue of Sigismund depicts a king dressed in armor. In one hand, the king holds a sword, and the other rests on a cross. The column height is 22 meters.
The marble column has been repaired several times. The first time in 1743, the reconstruction was carried out by Francis Dombrowski. In 1854, the column was surrounded by a fountain with marble tritons designed by the sculptor Henrik Marconi. In 1887, the column itself was replaced with a granite one. In 1930, during the reconstruction, the original appearance of the monument was restored, the fountain with tritons was removed.
After the war, the monument was restored, the grand opening took place on July 22, 1949. The original elements of the column can still be seen next to the Royal Palace.
