Sigismund´s Column on Castle Square. A meeting hub
This is a detailed description of Sigismund’s Column on Castle Square in Warsaw. If you only need a tourist overview, just click the following link:
Touristic overviewCentral hub: the Castle Square
The Warsaw Old Town with Castle Square @ DimaBerkut via iStock
The most beautiful spacious Castle Square in Warsaw (Plac Zamkowy) stretches out in front of Warsaw’s Old Town and the Royal Castle. The streets leading into the square are Krakowskie Przedmieście, Senatorska, Podwale, Świętojańska, and Piwna. This is where the Old Town and the Royal Route meet, and beneath it runs one of the city’s most important transport arteries (the Trasa W-Z), which connects East Warsaw with West Warsaw by bus, tram, or car. “At Sigismund” is a popular meeting point for Warsaw couples—and for organized tour groups it’s the easiest place to remember if someone gets lost. Additionally this is where we start some of our private and public guided tours. Welcome to Castle Square, the central hub of Warsaw’s tourist world.
Warsaw’s oldest monument
Sigismund Column on Castle Square @ Adrian Grycuk via wikimedia commons
Not exactly in the center, but still right on Castle Square, stands the city’s oldest monument: the 22-meter-high Sigismund’s Column. At the top is the figure of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund III Vasa. But who was he—and why did he get such a VIP spot?
The namesake: Sigismund III Vasa
In Sigismund’s time, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth reached its greatest territorial extent. In 1610, Polish soldiers captured Moscow; in the east the borders reached as far as the Black Sea, and in the north Poland fought Sweden for dominance in the Baltic. Sigismund came from the Swedish Vasa dynasty. He sat on the Polish throne for 45 years. To honor this glorious reign with due dignity, his son and successor on the Polish throne, Władysław IV Vasa, had this monument erected for his father. It is Warsaw’s oldest monument.
In 1885 the column was renovated for the first time. The old column was replaced with a new one. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, it was knocked down by a German tank. The third column was erected in 1949. Through all these ups and downs, the statue remained almost unscathed.
The columns from 1885 and 1944 lie by the southern wall of the Royal Castle. You can see them quite well from Sigismund’s Column.
profanum vs. sacrum
In the 17th century, there was a certain problem with erecting a column topped by a secular ruler. Traditionally, such columns were reserved for the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and saints. The Catholic Church adopted this custom from the time of the Roman Empire, when only emperors were granted a place of honor atop such columns. This led to a fierce verbal dispute between the Polish king and the nuncio Mario Filonardi. Incidentally, he was also decidedly opposed to the king’s liberal policy on religious denominations. The outcome of this quarrel is unknown.
The architects and artists
You rarely remember the names of artists, founders, or designers of a place. Still, we want to devote a short section to them—because without them, there wouldn’t be this story.
The form of the first column was designed by Agostino Locci and Constantino Tencalla; the figure of the king was made by Clemente Molli; and we owe the casting to Daniel Thiem—who, incidentally, also cast the freestanding bell on Kanonia Square behind St. John’s Cathedral.
Inscription plaques on the base
How often do you see tourists trying desperately to decipher the inscriptions on the four plaques on each side of the base. Therefore, below you will find the original Latin text and the German translation:
And one more legend
The toppled statue in 1945 @ Public Domain
A legend says that Warsaw will be destroyed as soon as the king’s sabre touches the ground. When the column was toppled in 1944, the statue did fall to the ground—but the sabre pointed upward, suspended in the air, far from the ground. Warsaw was rebuilt, the Old Town has never looked as beautiful as it did afterward, and today Poland’s capital is experiencing the finest period in its entire history. That’s not to say we owe all of this to the war—but rather that the city radiates immense vitality and always looks ahead.
In the photo you can see the toppled Sigismund’s Column in 1945. In the background are the ruins of the Royal Castle, blown up into the air.
Sigismund and the Old Town on our guided tour
We warmly invite everyone to join our public city tour in German and English. We meet right in front of Sigismund’s Column and begin a journey through space and time. On the tour we talk about Sigismund’s move from Kraków to Warsaw, we go into the courtyard as well as the Royal Gardens of the Royal Castle. Next comes the highlight of the tour: the medieval Market Square, with explanations about the reconstruction of the Old Town. Finally, we also talk about Jewish heritage in Warsaw and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
On this, our best-selling tour in Warsaw, you can gain a lot of background knowledge. It’s the perfect introductory tour. Afterward, you can explore the city with a much better understanding. Because it’s a public tour, we can keep the prices (per person) very low.
So sign up—don’t hesitate. You can still cancel right up until the tour. We’d be delighted to welcome you on the tour.
