Pilsudski Square
Encyclopedia
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
's largest square, located in Warsaw city centre
Warszawa-Sródmiescie
Śródmieście is the central borough of the city of Warsaw. The best known neighborhoods in the borough are the Old Town and New Town ....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The Square is named for Marshal
Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, this rank is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army in other NATO armies.-History:...
Józef Piłsudski, who was instrumental in the restoration of Polish statehood after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Name
The square has been called successively Saxon Square (Plac Saski, after Poland's Saxon kings' "Saxon PalacePalac Saski
The Saxon Palace was one of the most distinctivebuildings in prewar Warsaw, Poland.-To World War I:The Saxon Palace had originally been a private palace of the Morsztyn family , then had been purchased and enlarged by the first of Poland's two Saxon kings, August II .In the early 19th century, the...
", destroyed in World War II, that used to stand adjacent to the square), Piłsudski Square (after Józef Piłsudski), Adolf Hitler Platz during Germany's World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
occupation of Warsaw, Victory Square in honor of Poland's and her allies' victory in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; and now is again called Piłsudski Square.
Piłsudski Square is the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, housed in the remnants of the Saxon Palace, destroyed by Nazis in World War II.
Events
The Square has been the scene of many historic events. Military parades have been held there since the 19th century. Important guests of WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
have been officially welcomed there.
It was on Piłsudski Square (then still Victory Square) in 1979 that Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
addressed throngs of his countrymen at an open-air Holy Mass during his first visit to Poland following his 1978 elevation to the papacy. In April 2005, his death was mourned there.
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
celebrated an open-air Holy Mass on the Square on 26 May 2006, during his first pastoral visit to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
From the 1890s to the 1920s, the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
ist Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was a Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Saxon Square built by authorities of Imperial Russia in Warsaw, Poland, then under the rule of the Russian Empire. The cathedral was designed by distinguished Russian architect Leon Benois, and was built between 1894 and 1912...
stood there, until it was dismantled by the newly independent Poles.
The square is now a location of some luxury shops, such as Italian Valentino.
Location
The square is in front of the Saxon Gardens, close to the Presidential PalacePresidential Palace, Warsaw
The Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
and the Evangelical Church. The nearest metro station is Świętokrzyska