Sigismund's Column

Warsaw · Poland · Urban site

The king holds his sabre raised over the square. The legend is exact: the day the blade sinks and touches the base, Warsaw is lost.

Warsaw's oldest public monument was raised in 1644 on Castle Square in honour of Sigismund III Vasa, the figure cast by Clemente Molli and the column designed by Constantino Tencalla and Augustyn Locci. The king holds a cross in one hand and a raised sabre in the other, and the city has always read that blade as an hourglass. The superstition leaves no room for interpretation: as long as the king holds the sabre up, Warsaw stands, but the day the blade sinks and touches the base beneath the statue, a wave of disasters will come and the city will fall. The column has been brought down and raised again in the course of its history, and each time the sabre was the first thing put back at the correct angle.

FAQ

Where is Sigismund's Column located?

Sigismund's Column is in Warszawa, Poland.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.