The Grunwald Monument (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

: ''Pomnik Grunwaldzki'') is an

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...

(1352–1434) located at Matejko Square in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Poland. It was constructed in 1910 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

, when an alliance of the

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the Pat ...

and the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

decisively defeated the German

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

. The statue depicts Jagiełło atop his horse with his cousin, and Grand Duke of Lithuania,

Vytautas Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

to his front. On either side of Jagiełło are soldiers lifting their arms in celebration of victory. Depicted lying dead at the steps of the statue is Grand Master of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

Ulrich von Jungingen Ulrich von Jungingen (1360 – 15 July 1410) was the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407 to 1410. His policy of confrontation with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland would spark the Polish–Lithuan ...

. It was destroyed by German soldiers following the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1939, but was reconstructed in 1976 based on a design by

Marian Konieczny Marian Adam Konieczny (13 January 1930 – 25 July 2017) was a Polish sculptor and politician, Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Sculpture of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Life A 1954 graduate of the Akademia Sztuk Pięknych ...

History

Origin

The monument was designed by Polish sculptors Antoni Wiwulski and Franciszek Black and funded by renowned pianist and future

Prime Minister of Poland A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only wa ...

Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (;

r 1859 R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The lette ...

– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's Prime Minister of Poland, prime minister and foreign minister durin ...

. He wanted to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the victorious

fought between Poland and

against the

on 15 July 1410. The battle has an enormous relevance in Polish history and is seen as one of the nation's greatest military victories.

Construction

Initially, there was controversy where to locate the monument and various different locations were proposed including the Holy Spirit Square (Plac Św. Ducha) supported by Paderewski, the square in front of St. Bernard's Church and the Matejko Square. Eventually, the latter option was chosen partly thanks to its close proximity to the Kraków's defensive walls, which reflected in their appearance the early Jagiellonian era. The

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

for the monument was laid in April 1910. The project was carried out in secrecy in the

Austrian Partition of Poland Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

and even Wiwulski himself did not know the final purpose of the project when he worked on the details of the monument. The

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

obtained for the construction of the

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

came from the Vanevick

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

owned by French company Le Granite from

Abainville Abainville () is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 Communes of France, communes of the Meuse (depart ...

. Antoni Wiwulski worked on the statue of King Jagiełło during his stay in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

but the project was temporarily halted due to the sculptor's sudden illness. The figures displayed on the monument were cast in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

by the French company Malleset. The sculptures were then transported by train from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

through

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to Kraków. The entire cost of the project is estimated at 500,000

Austro-Hungarian krone The krone (alternatively crown; , , , , , , , , , ) was the official currency of Austria-Hungary from 1892 (when it replaced the Austro-Hungarian gulden, gulden as part of the adoption of the gold standard) until the dissolution of the empire in ...

Grand opening

The official and ceremonial opening of the monument took place on 15 July 1910. The unveiling of the Grunwald Monument was witnessed by 150,000 spectators and by many prominent dignitaries including Land Marshal of Galicia (and a ''de facto'' Prime Minister)

Stanisław Badeni Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

, Mayor of Kraków

Juliusz Leo Juliusz Franciszek Leo (15 September 1861 - 21 February 1918) was a Polish politician and academic from Kraków, Poland, while the city was part of the Austrian Empire, then Austria-Hungary. Leo was a professor of economics and law at Jagiellonian ...

and the sponsor of the monument

Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (;

World War II and post-war years

During the

Occupation of Poland Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the monument was systematically destroyed by

between November 1939 and April 1940, as an act of retaliation. The pedestal was demolished with

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

, while the bronze statues were looted and transported to Germany. On 28 January 1945, a decision was made to reconstruct the monument after the war. Feliks Dziuba was one of the few who saved fragments of the monument. Granite blocks which were recovered from the original monument were placed on the site where the monument was located. In 1972, a special committee was established whose aim was to reconstruct the Grunwald Monument known as ''Komitet Odbudowy Pomnika Grunwaldzkiego''. Based on a miniature model of the original monument kept by the

Historical Museum of Kraków The Historical Museum of the City of Kraków () in Kraków, Lesser Poland, was granted the status of an independent institution in 1945. Originally, it was a branch of the Old Records Office of Kraków, in operation from 1899. The museum holdings ...

as well as pre-war photographs, artist

carried out the reconstruction of the monument. The granite was obtained from the region of

Szklarska Poręba Szklarska Poręba () is a town in Karkonosze County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. The town has a population of around 6,500. It is a popular ski resort. An important regional and national centre for mountain hiking, cycli ...

and the figures were cast in bronze in

Gliwice Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

. On 16 October 1976, the Grunwald Monument was officially re-opened. In front of the monument, a

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs are located in many nations and are usually high-profile na ...

was located featuring a symbolic marble plaque designed by Wiktor Zin.

100th anniversary celebrations

On 10 September 2010, a ceremonial reenactment of the events related to the opening of the monument took place in Kraków as well as celebrations of the 600th anniversary of the battle and the 100th anniversary of the construction of the monument. In 2016, the Grunwald Monument underwent an extensive renovation and cleaning.

Description

The monument is 24 meters (78 ft) tall and at the top of it an equestrian statue of King

Władysław Jagiełło Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: People Mononym * Włodzis ...

is located. The king holds the

bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. It prov ...

in his left hand and a sword in his right hand. On the front side of the monument there are sunk relieves for the

Grunwald Swords The Grunwald Swords (, ) are a pair of simple bare swords sent as a mocking "gift" by Ulrich von Jungingen, the Grand Master of the Order of Teutonic Knights, to King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland and Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania. The swo ...

and a statue of

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

at the feet of whom lies the figure of fallen in battle Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights

. The eastern side features a Polish knight and his

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

collecting the abandoned Teutonic banners. The western side features a Lithuanian warrior blowing a horn and leading a captured Teutonic knight. The northern side features a peasant symbolically throwing off the shackles of enslavement. File:Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Grunwald Monument and church of St. Florian, Matejko Square, Kraków, Poland.jpg, Matejko Square. From left to right, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Grunwald Monument, and (in background) St. Florian's Church File:The Grunwaldzki Monument in Cracow 2.jpg, The opening ceremony of the monument, 1910 File:WWII Krakow - 01.jpg, German soldiers standing on the destroyed remnants of the monument in 1939 File:PomnikGrunwaldzki-PostaćKrólaWładysławaJagiełły-POL, Kraków.jpg, Władysław Jagiełło statue File:PomnikGrunwaldzki-PostaćKsięciaWitolda-POL, Kraków.jpg, Vytautas statue File:PomnikGrunwaldzki-PostaćUlrichaVonJungingena-POL, Kraków.jpg, Ulrich von Jungingen statue File:PomnikGrunwaldzki-PraojcomNaChwałę-POL, Kraków.jpg, Eastern side File:PomnikGrunwaldzki-BraciomNaOtuchę-POL, Kraków.jpg, Western side File:PomnikGrunwaldzki-PostaćChłopaZrywającegoKajdny-POL, Kraków.jpg, Northern side

References

{{Commons category, Grunwald Monument in Kraków 1910 sculptures Equestrian statues in Poland Outdoor sculptures in Poland Monuments and memorials in Kraków Sculptures in Poland Destroyed sculptures Vandalized works of art Rebuilt buildings and structures in Poland Ignacy Jan Paderewski