Monument to Władysław II Jagiełło
Year of unveiling
1934
Person/persons/event to whom the monument is dedicated
The monument commemorates the Lithuanian prince, king of Poland, founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty - Władysław II Jagiełło, who in 1410, commanding the Polish-Lithuanian army, defeated the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald.
Localization
Działdowo, Władysława Jagiełły Street
Location in relation to the surroundings
The Jagiełło monument stands on a square in front of the Gymnasium No. 1 named after him. Nearby is the local museum.
Text of the inscription
Inscription from 1934: To Władysław Jagiello on the 500th anniversary of the death of 1434-1934 / Schoolchildren
The inscription from 1994 after reconstruction: To King Władysław Jagiello on the 650th anniversary of granting the city rights to Działdowo in 1994.
General description
In the upper part of the plinth you can see a hand holding a sword. Its blade is directed vertically down and reaches the very end of the pedestal. At the top there is a bas-relief of the White Eagle.
Condition
Reconstruction
The circumstances of unveiling
After Poland regained independence, the Adam Mickiewicz Society for the Care of Poles Abroad in Lwów took the initiative to popularize Polish history among the Mazurians and Warmians. One of its activities was the preparation of the Grunwald Room in the Mazurian Museum, opened in July 1927 in Działdów. Next to the collection of paintings, showing the times of Władysław Jagiełło's reign, there is a model of the king's monument, made by Marian Spindler, a sculptor from Lwów. On its basis it was intended to make a monument and place it on the market square in Dzialdowo. The design of the monument was rejected by the city authorities, who said that it "depicted an exquisite prince and not a brave leader from Grunwald". At that time, the initiative was taken over by the director of the Teachers' Seminary in Dzialdowo, Józef Biedrawa, who appointed a committee to build the monument to Jagiełło in 1929. For this purpose, school pupils were taxed (a penny per pupil), and there were organized fundraisers and events connected with collections of donations. The initiative was also financially supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Society for the Care of Poles Abroad. The foundation stone of the monument was laid on July 13, 1930. The monument was designed by Warsaw sculptor Bohdan Nowak and was much more modest than Spindler's work. The monument was designed by the Warsaw sculptor Bohdan Nowak and was much more modest than Spindler's work. The execution was carried out by Bielawski's company from Brodnica, making the monument from sandstone. Initially, the unveiling was planned for the round anniversary of the junk of Jagiełło, who died on 25 May 1434. The unveiling of the monument on 28 October 1934 was attended by Polish consuls from East Prussia, the deputy curator of the school district of Poznań, Dr Michał Poliak, an army company and the inhabitants of Działdów.
Later history
At the beginning of September 1939 the monument was destroyed by the Germans. After the war, in November 1952, a monument in honour of the Soviet Army was placed in its place. Only in 1992, during the meeting of the Society of Dzialdowo Land Lovers, the idea of commemorating the victor from Grunwald again was returned. In 1993, this initiative was also taken up by a group of teachers from King Władysław Jagiełło Primary School No. 1. On 14 March 1994 the City Council of Działdowa passed a resolution and two weeks later the Social Committee for the Reconstruction of the Monument to King Władysław Jagiełło at Primary School No. 1 was established. Wojciech Jaroszewski became the Chairman of the Committee. Mayor Marian Janicki was elected as honorary chairman. A collection of money was carried out, and the project was free of charge carried out by Andrzej Walasek, an artist from Działdów, modelled on the photographs of the original. The monument was forged by a Dzialdowo craftsman Wojciech Jaroszewski. Exactly 60 years after the ceremonial unveiling of Jagiełło's first monument on 28 October 1994, a new one was presented to the inhabitants of Działdów.
Contemporary importance
The statue of Wladyslaw Jagiello commemorates the figure of the great king and his relations with Dzialdowo. The king visited the town three times during successive wars with the Teutonic Order in 1410, 1414 and 1422. It was from Dzialdowo that he set off in 1410 near Grunwald after a few days' stopover. Today, the monument commemorating him reminds of distant events and serves as a memorial, building a sense of pride of the local community from its past. Due to its modest appearance the monument has not earned the status of a tourist attraction.
Localization
Gallery
Działdowo, warmińsko-mazurskie.
Polska ,13-200
