Sigismund’s Column

Sigismund’s Column, originally erected in 1644, is located in Castle Square, Warsaw, and is one of Warsaw’s most famous landmarks as well as the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history. The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 had moved Poland’s capital from Kraków to Warsaw. On the Corinthian column (which used to be of red marble), 8.5 m high, a sculpture of the King, 2.75-metres high, in archaistic armour is placed. Sigismund’s Column is adorned by four eagles. The king is dressed in armor and carries a cross in one hand and wields a sword in the other.