Monument to Bolesław the Brave, Gniezno

The Monument to Bolesław the Brave stands on Lech Hill, on the square in front of Gniezno Cathedral and opposite the Primate's Palace. The bronze figure of Poland's first crowned ruler, wearing a crown and resting on a sword, is 4.75 m tall, and almost 9 m together with its pedestal. Today's statue is a faithful reconstruction from 1985 – the 1929 original was destroyed by the Germans during the occupation.

History: a monument unveiled three times

The idea of honouring the king came up during preparations for the 900th anniversary of the coronation of Bolesław the Brave. The first sketches were made in 1922 by the Poznań architect Roger Sławski; the organising committee included Bishop Antoni Laubitz, and the sculpture was commissioned from the Poznań artist Marcin Rożek. On 12 September 1925 President Stanisław Wojciechowski unveiled a plaster cast of the figure. The actual statue was cast in Warsaw in 12 bronze sections, using metal from three German monuments and one cannon. The work was finished on 24 December 1928, the cast was brought to Gniezno in April 1929, and on 30 May 1929 the monument was unveiled by President Ignacy Mościcki. At the same time the cathedral square was laid out, the slope reinforced and the steps built.

The German occupation authorities tried to remove the sculpture as early as autumn 1939, but their heavy equipment only managed to tear off the king's head. In spring 1940 the pedestal was smashed, the statue taken apart, and a fountain built in front of the cathedral. Efforts to rebuild it went on for years – the authorities argued that the monument to Mieszko I and Bolesław the Brave then going up elsewhere in Gniezno was enough. Permission finally came in 1981; the money was raised through a public collection, combined with a scrap-metal drive. The reconstruction, based on the original, was made by the Poznań sculptor Jerzy Sobociński, and the monument was unveiled on 9 May 1985 – this time on the upper terrace, right by the steps.

What to see

• The king's figure – Bolesław faces south towards the Primate's Palace, although a pre-war reporter wrote that he was meant to look towards Germany, guarding the western border.
• Four reliefs on the pedestal – on the west the mission of St Adalbert, on the east Bolesław's judgement under the oak, on the north the king's coronation, and at the front the inscription "Bolesław Chrobry 1025–1925".
• The inscription below the coronation scene – it sums up the monument's fate: erected in 1929, destroyed in 1940, restored in 1985 by the chisel of Jerzy Sobociński.
• The view of the cathedral – the best shot is from the lower part of the square, with both the king and the church façade in the frame.

Did you know?

The inscription on the front of the pedestal has changed three times. In 1925 it read "To Bolesław the Brave, the liberated nation 1925", after the bronze statue was installed "Bolesław Chrobry 1025–1929", and today it reads "Bolesław Chrobry 1025–1925". The original design approved by the provincial governor envisaged a 6.2 m monument with a 4 m figure – in the end the king was placed on a 4 m pedestal. Do not confuse this monument with the statue of Bolesław on the Royal Route, a trail opened in 2018 with figures of Poland's first five kings and 17 rabbit sculptures guiding you between the stops.

Tripto tips

The monument stands in a public space on ul. Jana Łaskiego and can be seen at any time. The stop itself takes 10–15 minutes, but it is the natural starting point for exploring Lech Hill. The cathedral with the Gniezno Doors, the crypts and the Archdiocesan Museum are open Monday to Saturday – 09:00–17:00 from May to October and 09:00–16:00 from November to April; on Sundays these areas are closed to tourists. A ticket for the Gniezno Doors costs PLN 16 (reduced PLN 14) and an all-in pass PLN 48; the ticket office closes 30 minutes before closing time.