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Monument to the Millennium of the Polish Cavalry

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The Monument to the Millennium of the Polish Cavalry is a statue located at the Polish Cavalry Roundabout (Rondo Jazdy Polskiej) in Warsaw.

Monument to the Millennium of the Polish Cavalry
Pomnik Millenium Jazdy Polskiej
Map
52°12′59.46″N 21°00′52.10″E / 52.2165167°N 21.0144722°E / 52.2165167; 21.0144722
LocationRondo Jazdy Polskiej
DesignerMieczysław Naruszewicz, Marek Moderau
Height16 meters
Beginning date1983
Opening date3 May 1994

History

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The initiative to build the monument commemorating the Polish cavalry started in 1978, and in 1981 a committee was formed to organize the construction of the monument. The monument had to stand on a slope of the Łazienkowska Thoroughfare (Trasa Łazienkowska) at the entrance to Jazdów Street, where the cornerstone was laid in 1983.

In 1984, there was a design competition for the monument and from 13 entries, the design by sculptor and designer Mieczysław Naruszewicz was chosen. The statue was cast in 1987 at the Warsaw cooperative, Brąz Dekoracyjny.

Due to unstable geological conditions, it was decided to change the monument's location. As a consequence it is now set too high on its column with its back to pedestrians and traffic.

The monument was unveiled on 3 May 1994. The sculpture shows two distinct riders galloping on horseback: a Piast knight armed with a lance in his hand ready to strike, along with a sword and shield, and a Uhlan soldier armed with a saber in his outstretched hand, which symbolizes the beginning and the end of the Polish horse cavalry. To create the sculptures, Colonel Zbigniew Starak, a participant in the charge at the Battle of Schoenfeld (the last cavalry charge and mounted battle fought by the Polish cavalry), posed for the sculptor.

The lower part of the column is surrounded by four cast brass plaques with a list of 43 of the most important battles in the history of the Polish cavalry. Metal from army artillery shells was used in the creation of the plaques. These were designed by sculptor Mark Moderau. After 11 years, errors in the inscriptions were noted and corrected for the dates of the Obertyn, Orsza and Beresteczko battles.

In 2016, an initiative was taken to rotate the monument to turn it towards the roundabout and the Politechnika metro station (from the south to the north-east, a turn of 135 degrees). The rotation of the sculpture was scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2018 and was successfully completed on November 20 - 21.

Battles noted on the monument plaques

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    Monument from the south
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    Monument from the east
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    Monument from the west
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    One of the four tables with names and dates of battles

Bibliography

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  • Irena Grzesiuk-Olszewska: Warszawska rzeźba pomnikowa. Wydawnictwo Neriton, Warszawa 2003, s. 183-184. ISBN 83-88973-59-2.
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