Monument to Jadwiga and Jagiełło in Kraków

The Monument to Jadwiga and Jagiełło stands in the northern part of Planty Park, on Basztowa Street. It was unveiled on 1 August 1886 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Polish-Lithuanian union. The sculpture was made by Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski, and the architecture of the monument was designed by Karol Knaus.

What it depicts

The group, in Carrara marble, shows Queen Jadwiga and Grand Duke Władysław Jagiełło at the moment of their wedding. Between the figures stands a small plinth with the coats of arms of the Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The pedestal is made of sandstone. The inscription reads "Hedviges Regina Poloniae Jagiello Magnus Dux Lithuanie", and on a cross-shaped plaque of red marble there is a dedication with the years 1386 and 1886.

History of the monument

The sculpture was made in Rome and was originally intended as a gift to the National Museum in Kraków. After the war the monument was conserved in the late 1950s or early 1960s, in 1986 and in 2004. The cross held by Jadwiga was lost a few years after the last conservation.

Practical information

• Location: Planty Park on Basztowa Street, a few dozen metres from St Florian's Gate.
• The monument stands in an open space and can be viewed at any time.