Monuments of Warsaw.
Warsaw
At a glance
One thing Warsaw has aplenty is monuments. It is true there are a lot but they are worth a closer look as they all have a story attached. You could easily spend a day ticking some of the more famous off your list. So where to start?
King Sigismund's Column is the oldest so that might be a good a place as any. Found with sword in one hand, cross in the other on Castle Square, it was rebuilt after the war and pieces of the original can be found lying next to the castle.
Serena, the city's mermaid might vie for the most famous and her likeness you'll see everywhere. So proud are the locals of her that you'll find no less than 3 statues in this town - on the Old Town Square, Świętokrzyski Bridge and on Karowa Street.
Poland's greatest hero, Tadeusz Kościuszko is, as you would expect, remembered with a monument which is an exact copy of one in Washington - a gift to the USA from Poland. How about the Józef Piłsudski monument on the square of the same name, which remembers the man who won Poland its independence back in 1918 and held the Bolsheviks off in 1920.
The arts are well represented. Adam Mickiewicz, Poland's literary number one, can be found along Krakowskie Przedmieście with WWII bullet holes still in evidence. Chopin stands in Łazienki park, yet another monument lovingly rebuilt after the original was destroyed. Why not sit next to a young Copernicus opposite the University library? His statue is seated on a bench in a 'photo-me' style.
But one of the most eye-catching and intriguing has to be the cluster of partisans emerging from the sewers on Krasinskich Square. This monument to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising is a fitting tribute and a suitable introduction to the Uprising Museum experience. The Boy Soldier, Monte Cassino and The Unknown Soldier are but a few to stop and give a thought to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
