Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Square ( Polish. Plac marsz. Józefa Piłsudskiego ) is the main square in the center of Warsaw , Poland . The square is named after Marshal Jozef Pilsudski , who played an important role in the restoration of Polish statehood after the First World War . The ensemble of the square includes the tomb of the Unknown Soldier , a monument to Marshal Pilsudski and the ruins of the Saxon Palace .
Content
History
Area Name
The square was successively called Saxon Square (after the palace of the Saxon kings , which was here and lost during the Second World War ), Pilsudski Square (in honor of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski ), Adolf Hitler Square during the occupation of Warsaw by Germany during the Second World War, Victory Square ( pol. Plac Zwycięstwa ) in honor of the victory in World War II, Poland and the allies. Now called Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Square.
Events
The square was the site of many historical events. As early as the 19th century, the square became the venue for military parades. Important official guests of Warsaw and Poland were solemnly welcomed here. On this square (then called Victory Square) in 1979 during his first visit to Poland after being elected to the papal throne, Pope John Paul II held a solemn mass in front of many, many thousands of his compatriots. Here in April 2005, the Poles mourned his death. From the 1890s and to the 1920s, the Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was located on the square. It was demolished in the 1920s after Poland gained independence. Currently, the square has also become the location of luxury shops, such as Italian Valentino.
See also
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Warsaw)
- Saxon Palace (Warsaw)
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Warsaw)
Links
- Virtual Tour (Polish)