The Emperor Napoleon I Memorial
The Emperor Napoleon I Memorial is a sculpture in Warsaw, Poland, located at Warsaw Insurgents Square in the North Downtown neighbourhood. It is dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte and depicts him as a bronze bust mounted on a tall plinth. The original work was designed by Jan Antoni Biernacki and first unveiled in 1921, but it was removed a few months later. A replacement made by Michał Kamieński was installed in 1923. After the Second World War, the sculpture was removed again, and a copy was unveiled on 5 May 2011.
May 2012 © Adrian Grycuk · CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
May 2011 © Szczebrzeszynski · CC0
May 2011 © Szczebrzeszynski · CC0
May 2011 © Szczebrzeszynski · CC0
March 2012 © Bj.schoenmakers · CC0
March 2014 © Raf24 · CC BY-SA 3.0
April 2011 © Szczebrzeszynski · CC0
September 2015 © Adrian Grycuk · CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
· Public domain
April 2026 © Wistula · CC BY-SA 4.0
Identification | |
| Title | The Emperor Napoleon I Memorial; Monument of Emperor Napoleon I; Napoleon Bonaparte Monument; Monument Empereur |
| Type | Sculpture; bust; monument |
Historical context | |
| Subject | Napoleon Bonaparte; Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French; Napoleon I |
| Historical context | Napoleon Bonaparte created the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 through the Treaties of Tilsit. |
| Commemorative occasion | Centenary of Napoleon's death; 100th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte's death; 190th anniversary of the death of the Emperor of the French |
Creator | |
| Original designer | Jan Antoni Biernacki |
| Second monument sculptor | Michał Kamieński |
Physical characteristics | |
| Main figure | Bronze bust of Napoleon Bonaparte |
| Height | More than 4 meters; 4.5 meters |
Appearance | |
| Inscription | A large letter N with a French imperial crown above it; text below reading "Wielkiemu wodzowi; Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna; 4.V.1923" |
| Plaque inscription | "Pomnik odtworzony 05.05.2011 w miejscu wzniesienia 0.5.05.1921 pierwszego pomnika Cesarza Napoleona I w Warszawie" |
| Supporting elements | Tall plinth; high pedestal; base made of light granite; two eagles breaking into flight; four eagles below the bust |
| Attire | Military uniform |
| Headwear | Bicorne |
Materials | |
| Material | Bronze; light granite |
Location and ownership | |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland; Warsaw Insurgents Square / Plac Powstańców Warszawy; Powstańców Warszawy Square; North Downtown neighbourhood; at the end of Warecka Street; Center of the Insurgents' Square; site of the former Napoleon Square |
| Associated institution | Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna (Military University); Polish Army Museum |
| Original location | Warsaw Insurgents Square, renamed for the occasion Napoleon Square |
| Second monument location | The former Higher War School at 79 Koszykowa Street; inside the Military Academy at 79 Koszykowa Street; campus of the Military University, 79 Koszykowa Street |
| Current location note | Installed in the same place where the first monument to the emperor was unveiled on 5 May 1921 |
History and restoration | |
| Approval | Approved by the Warsaw City Council in 2011 despite earlier opposition from PiS councillors in the Śródmieście district |
| Planned subsequent placement | To be installed again in a new nearby location; placed back at a nearby location |
| Reason for temporary removal | Construction of an underground parking garage under Plac Powstańców Warszawy; construction of an underground car park |
| Temporary removal | Temporarily removed in February 2022; removed in February 2022 due to the construction of an underground car park; temporarily remove the monument |
| Current monument inscription note | The monument was restored on 5 May 2011, in place of the first monument to Emperor Napoleon I, erected on 5 May 1921 |
| Unveiling ceremony | A detachment of French hussars; a detachment of honor from the 2nd French Hussars Regiment was present; a cavalry regiment of the French Army participated in the opening ceremony |
| Second monument date | 3 May 1923 |
| Current monument initiative | Built through the efforts of the Polish section of the Association of Mutual Aid of Members of the Legion of Honour; made possible thanks to the efforts of the Polish section of the Association for Mutual Aid of the Legion of Honour |
| Current monument date | 5 May 2011 |
| Second monument fate | Removed after World War II; disassembled after World War II; demolished after World War II; placed in the courtyard of the Polish Army Museum, 3 Jerusalem Avenue |
| Original monument fate | Removed after a few months; disassembled after a few months and lost; quickly dismantled and its trace was lost |
| Original monument date | 5 May 1921 |
| Current monument source | A copy of Kamieński's work; the second Napoleon monument by sculptor Michał Kamieński |
Significance | |
| Historical note | It is the third Napoleon monument in Warsaw historically; the third monument of the capital was erected in 2011 |
| Plaque note | The monument was restored on 5 May 2011, in place of the first monument to Emperor Napoleon I, erected on 5 May 1921 |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Second monument fate | Disassembled after World War II; demolished after World War II; removed from display after the Second World War and placed in the courtyard of the Polish Army Museum, 3 Jerusalem Avenue |
| Current monument unveiling occasion | The 190th anniversary of the death of the Emperor of the French; 190th anniversary of Bonaparte's death |
| Current monument unveiling date | 5 May 2011 |
| Preserved element of second monument | The emperor's bust was placed in the courtyard of the Polish Army Museum |
| First monument unveiling date | 5 May 1921 |
| Second monument unveiling date | 3 May 1923 |
| First monument fate | Removed after a few months and became lost; removed after a few months and lost |
| First monument unveiling occasion | The centenary of Napoleon's death; 100th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte's death |
| First monument author | Unknown |
| Current monument participants | A detachment of French hussars; a detachment of honor from the 2nd French Hussars Regiment; a cavalry regiment of the French Army |