Piłsudski Monument on Piłsudski Square

The monument to Józef Piłsudski, the founding father of the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939/1989), stands on the eastern side of Piłsudski Square. Piłsudski’s reputation in Poland can be compared to that of Kemal Atatürk in Turkey.

The monument

A fter the fall of the Polish People’s Republic in 1989, the Civic Committee for the Construction of the Piłsudski Monument in Warsaw was established that same year. The monument was completed in 1994 and initially stood on the grounds of the Warsaw Citadel. It was later moved to the square bearing Piłsudski’s name, near the Royal Route.

The monument was designed by Tadeusz Łodziana. It was cast in bronze and granite at the Naval Shipyard in Gdynia.

The monument was unveiled on 14 August 1995, on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw of 1920. The ceremony was attended by Józef Piłsudski’s daughter, Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska, and the then-president of Poland, Lech Wałęsa.

Military representatives have criticised the fact that the statue faces the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. As a result, soldiers stand with their backs to the monument during official ceremonies. Some soldiers regard this as an “unintentional sign of disrespect”.

Who was Piłsudski?

Piłsudski was the founding father of the Second Polish Republic, which regained its independence on 11 November 1918. Piłsudski’s position in Poland can be compared to the reputation of Kemal Atatürk in Turkey. He is known to every Pole, even though not everyone knows exactly why they know him. Piłsudski’s military dictatorship is also often viewed with considerable sympathy. Criticism of Piłsudski’s politics and worldview is rarely emphasised in the media or specialist literature.

Józef … Stalin?

Unfortunately, from a distance, Józef Piłsudski looks a little like Joseph Stalin in this monument. Coincidentally, both men also had the same first name. It is the cap and, above all, the distinctive moustache that create the resemblance. But rest assured: if this were a statue of Stalin, it would have been melted down a long time ago.