Striped Flint Ring in Sandomierz

The Ring in Sandomierz is one of the town's most unusual monuments: an openwork wrought-iron setting holding a huge cabochon of striped flint, in which you can see the letter "S" from Sandomierz's logo. The structure weighs 80 kg and has stood in the Old Town since 2013 as a statement of the idea that Sandomierz should be called the World Capital of Striped Flint.

History: a goldsmith's monument

The monument was made by Cezary Łutowicz, a Sandomierz master goldsmith born in 1944 in Białystok. In 1972 he was the first to bring striped flint into jewellery – both Polish and international. The stone, with its distinctive bands, occurs only in the Świętokrzyskie region and is nicknamed the "stone of optimism". Łutowicz coined the slogan "World Capital of Striped Flint" and co-founded a festival devoted to the stone. The ring was set up opposite his workshop at 4 Poniatowskiego Square, across from the Town Hall offices – as the artist intended, to promote the town and its stone.

Did you know

• Łutowicz's works are held in seven Polish museums, and three are in the Vatican collections. He also designed and made the ceremonial chain of the Mayor of Sandomierz.
• The artist has long called for legal protection of striped flint. In 2021 he told Radio Kielce that large companies ship the raw stone to China for cutting, and only about 30 per cent of it comes back.
• The oldest and largest collection of jewellery and objects made with striped flint belongs to the Regional Museum in Sandomierz.

Tripto tips

• The monument stands in the open, so you can see it free of charge at any time. A few minutes is enough, and it makes a good stop on the way from the Market Square towards the cathedral and the castle.
• To see striped flint in jewellery, visit the goldsmiths' workshops in the Old Town or the Regional Museum. The town also holds a Striped Flint Weekend with a fair and guided walks; ask about dates at the tourist information centre at Rynek 20.