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King Jagiello Monument

King Jagiello Monument is an equestrian monument of Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, located in Central Park in New York City. It commemorates the Battle of Grunwald, a decisive defeat of the Teutonic Order in 1410. Originally created for the Polish pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, the monument was permanently installed in Central Park in 1945. Raised on a tall pedestal, it is one of the park’s most prominently placed sculptures.

King Jagiello Monument, an equestrian bronze statue of a armored figure holding a sword aloft, with a Polish flag behind it and the word POLAND on the pedestal.
The King Jagiello Monument stands beneath a clear sky, with a Polish flag visible behind the equestrian statue and its POLAND pedestal.
1939 © Unknown author · Public domain
King Jagiello Monument, a bronze equestrian statue on a tall pedestal in Central Park
The King Jagiello Monument stands on a tall pedestal in Central Park, with trees and open parkland behind it.
April 2012 © · Public domain
King Jagiello Monument, a bronze equestrian statue of a crowned figure holding two crossed swords aloft in Central Park.
The King Jagiello Monument rises above the trees in Central Park, with its bronze rider holding crossed swords.
June 2010 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ornate architectural tower interior with decorative latticework and panels, with people walking below.
Inside the Polish pavilion at the 1939 New York World\'s Fair, featuring the King Jagiello Monument tower structure.
1939 © Unknown author · Public domain
King Jagiello Monument beside a tall gold-toned pavilion with a Polish flag in front of it
The King Jagiello Monument stands near the Polish pavilion at the 1939 New York World\'s Fair.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain

Identification

TitleKing Jagiello Monument
Alternative namesKing Jagiełło Monument; Monument to King Jagiełło in New York; Pomnik Króla Jagiełły
TypeEquestrian monument

Creator

ArtistStanisław K. Ostrowski (Stanisław Kazimierz Ostrowski, 1879–1947)
Pedestal designerAymar Embury II (1880–1966)

Historical context

Realization period1937–1939
Creation date1939
Original monument fateThe Warsaw monument was melted down by the Germans into bullets after they occupied the city during World War II
Replica statusReplica of a monument to King Jagiello in Warsaw
Project statusThe original project was interrupted by World War I and the first plaster model was destroyed during the war
Date first proposed1910
Original intended occasionOriginally proposed for the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald
Original purposeMade for the Polish pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair
Historical significanceVictory of Polish and Lithuanian forces over the Teutonic Order, with Ruthenian, Czech, and Tatar knights also mentioned in some sources
Commemorated eventBattle of Grunwald, 1410
SubjectWładysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania

Materials

Statue materialBronze
Pedestal materialGranite
Mounting system materialStainless steel

Technique

ModelMade from a plaster model

Physical characteristics

Height7 metres total, including a 4-metre pedestal
ScaleLarger than life

Appearance

SwordsThe Grunwald Swords
DepictionJagiełło mounted on horseback, holding two crossed swords over his head

Iconography and meaning

Sword symbolismA symbol of defiance and the union of Polish-Lithuanian forces
Sword meaningAn ironic invitation to battle offered by Ulrich von Jungingen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, to Jagiełło and Vytautas the Great

Location and ownership

Gifted toThe city of New York
Installed with cooperation ofCount Józef Kazimierz Krasicki, last consul of the pre-communist Second Polish Republic in New York
DonorThe King Jagiello Monument Committee, with support from the Polish government-in-exile
Permanent installation date15 July 1945
Original locationEntrance of the 1939 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York
Site within parkOn the east side of Turtle Pond, opposite Belvedere Castle and the Delacorte Theater, just southeast of the Great Lawn; Cleopatra's Needle is to the northeast and the Metropolitan Museum of Art lies beyond it
Current locationCentral Park, New York City, United States

History and restoration

Unveiled byCount Józef Kazimierz Krasicki
ConservationConserved in 1986 by the Central Park Conservancy
RestorationRestored in September 2016, including a new stainless steel mounting system and restoration of the statue's patina and protective coating
Artist signatureOstrowski's name is engraved in the front lower right-hand corner
Pedestal inscriptionsPOLAND appears on both sides of the plinth; the plinth also carries an English inscription identifying Jagiełło as King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, founder of a free union of the peoples of east-central Europe, victor over the Teutonic aggressors at Grunwald, 15 July 1410

Significance

Park statusOne of Central Park's most prominently located and most impressive sculptures; described as among the park's twenty-nine most prominent sculptures
2010 commemorationHeld in Central Park on 17 July 2010 for the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald, with an honor guard, a copy of Jan Matejko's Battle of Grunwald displayed nearby, and participation by American Polonia, Belarusians, and Lithuanians living in New York

Other

Related noteSome sources say the monument was made in Poland and, after Warsaw was occupied by the Germans, melted down into bullets