Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A scar from the World War 2: an empty square and the arches in the middle.

 This is the most venerable place in Warsaw, guarded by soliders 24/7 where official visits by presidents and foreign dignitaries need to pay their honours. An eternal flame is always lit.

The arcade is the remains of the Saxon Palace (Pałac Saski) - "Saxon", because in the beginning of the 18th century it belonged to Augustus II the Strong - a Polish king, who was also an Elector of Saxony (chronologically: first a Saxon elector; then chosen by Polish noblemen to become a Polish king). The arches date back to a 19th century remodelling, when the place belonged to a Russian tradesman. 

In the interwar period of the 20th century it was a seat of the Polish General Staff. You can look up its 1930s look at Wikipedia - and compare with the current state.

It was the interwar period when the place under the arcade gained its current importance. Like elsewhere in Europe in the 1920s, nations wanted to honour the soldiers who fell during the Great War. In Warsaw it was this place in the military headquarters that was picked as an appropriate one. From one of recent battlefields a bereft mother whose son never returned picked a coffin of one of many N.N.s who died in the battle of Lemberg (Lwów). The body was exhumed and transported with all honours to be buried here in 1925. 

During the Second World War the palace was taken over as German military offices. When the palace was blown up in 1944 this arcade partially survived. Why? I've read different explanations. One suggests that even German sappers had respect for the blood sacrifice of the buried soldier and so the explosives were placed far enough to spare this grave...

Unlike the Old Town and a couple of other monuments, the Saxon palace was never rebuilt. A heated discussion whether it should be or not continues up to this day. 

Only the arcades of the Tomb were renovated so that they can hold the grave of the soldier. The shape of the Tomb was only somewhat altered in comparison to the pre-war form.

The tomb is guarded by Representative Honour Guard Regiment without a break. The guards change every hour. The most spectacular change takes place at noon.

From the very beginning the columns were decorated with stone tablets which commemorate battlefields soaked with Polish blood. After the World War II there were some changes in the displayed names, but after 1989 the original ones were returned. Also new battefield names were added.

Address: Piłsudski Square. You can't miss it. It's just a few steps away from the Royal Route, so it's worth walking to the Square and pay a tribute of reflection.

Electio Viritim

„Electio viritim” means „personal choice” or „choice/election in person”. It’s a Latin expression which pointed to the personal participation of Polish noblemen in election of our monarchs. „Electio viritim” is also the name of a monument which you can find at Ostroroga street in the Wola district.

While in most kingdoms or principalities power was hereditary, in Poland it was so only to a certain extent. When the great dynasty of the Jagiellonians left no male descendant in 1572, the Polish parliament decided to elect their monarchs from then on. This tradition continued until the fall of the first Polish Republic (1795). The system was a kind of prototype of democracy, save that in Poland the right to vote was cherished only by noblemen. Nevertheless: ALL noblemen, no matter how high or low their standing. As long as they could afford to come to Warsaw, they could cast their vote in the election.

We had 11 elected kings and some of them were foreigners. The first one was a French prince (Henry of Valois, known in Poland as Henryk Walezy; French: Henri III) – his election took place on the Meadow of Kamion in 1573 – Kamion was a village across the river.

Most of subsequent elections took place on the left side of the river, beside the village of Wola which was pointed as the election field by the parliament decision as of 1587. The highest achievement of “Golden Liberty” of Polish nobility, the “free election” took place here in Wola: 10 elections over the period of 200 years. And this very place is now commemorated by the monument „Electio viritim”.

The monument was erected in 1997. It consists of a granite column, topped with a crown. In front there’s a plaque which explains the significance of the object and the place where it’s located. Above the plaque there are three characters shaking hands. They are taken after a 18th century painting by Canaletto: „Election of king Stanisław August”. The three men symbolize agreement and unanimity of all nobility participating in the election – an absolute requirement for a king to be elected (although not always achieved, and with time substituted with ruse or military power). (the original painting can be seen in the Royal Castle – I strongly recommend the room of Canaletto’s paintings). 

Around the column there’s a semi-circle with portraits of the elected kings. 

The election field was a temporary construction, consisting of wooden buildings, set up only for the time of the event. Therefore there are no material remains of it. What has survived, though, are some etymological signs. The name of the Obozowa street might derive from “election camp” (obóz elekcyjny). The name of neighbouring residential area, a village in the olden days, Koło (Circle) comes from the "circle of knights" (koło rycerskie) where the regional representatives presided.

 

The monument address: Ostroroga street (at the crossroad with Obozowa and Banderii)

The monument is located away from typical tourist routes, but if you happen to be around it’s close to the protestant cemeteries: the Lutheran cemetery (Młynarska 54/56/58) and the Calvinist Protestant cemetery (Żytnia 42) just beside. Both are very atmospheric, full of beautiful old tombs and history of Warsaw citizens.