Monument of Jan Kilinski
Main data:
Year of construction: 1936
Year of reconstruction: 1945
Designers: Stanislaw Jackowski
Location: at the corner of Piekarska and Podwale streets
This monument, which is situated at the exit of Piekarska street to Podwale street, commemorates Jan Kilinski, an Old Town shoemaker, who became famous after his heroic act during Kosciuszko Uprising. On 17th of April 1794 he led Old Town inhabitants to the attack on Russian ambassador's head office at Podwale street.
Monument of Jan Kilinski was previously located at Krasinskis Square. It was made according to the project of Stanislaw Jackowski and was cast in 'Lopienski Brothers' workshop. It was unveiled on 19th of April 1936. During Second World War the Germans dissembled the monument, which was a revenge for dissembling by the Poles German inscriptions on Copernicus's monument. But soon it turned out that the monument was hidden in National Museum's magazines and on its door an inscription appeared, saying 'People of Warsaw, here I am ! - Jan Kilinski'. Also an inscription singed by... Copernicus himself appeared: 'For the revenge on destroying Kilinski's monument I order the prolongation of winter by 6 weeks'. And that really happened !
After the war the monument was put first opposite National Museum, then again on Krasinskis Square, and since 1959 it stands on its today's location.
Behind the monument, on the other side of Piekarska street, there is a house of Museum of Artistic and Precision Handicraft with an interesting wall clock.
Translation of the streets' names:
Podwale Street - it can be translated as 'by the Embankment' Street (the name refers to the town walls it surrounds)
Piekarska Street - Baker street
Krasinskis Square - it is a proper noun, the name commemorates a well-known aristocratic family, one of their members was a famous poet Zygmunt
Krasinski
(C) 2001-2010 Maciej Blazejewski