 The King Jagiello Monument in 2010. | |
 Interactive map of King Jagiello Monument | |
| Location | Central Park,New York City,New York,United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°46′44″N73°58′0″W / 40.77889°N 73.96667°W /40.77889; -73.96667 |
| Designer | Stanisław K. Ostrowski |
| Type | Equestrian statue |
| Material | bronze |
| Height | 7 m (23 ft.) |
| Opening date | 1939 |
| Dedicated to | Władysław II Jagiełło |
TheKing Jagiełło Monument (Polish:Pomnik Króla Jagiełły) is anequestrian monument ofWładysław II Jagiełło,King of Poland andGrand Duke of Lithuania, located inCentral Park,New York City.
The monument commemorates theBattle of Grunwald, a decisive defeat of theTeutonic Order in 1410. Initially made byStanisław K. Ostrowski for the Polish1939 New York World's Fair pavilion, the monument was permanently installed in Central Park in 1945. Raised on its grandplinth, it is one of the park's most prominently cited and impressive among thetwenty-nine sculptures.
The monument is sited overlooking the east end of theTurtle Pond, across fromBelvedere Castle, and just southeast from theGreat Lawn.[1] To the northeast isCleopatra's Needle and beyond, theMetropolitan Museum of Art.
The monument commemorates theBattle of Grunwald (1410), where Polish and Lithuanian knights, supported by Ruthenian, Czech, and Tatar knights, defeated theTeutonic Order. King Władysław II Jagiełło is shown larger than life, seated on a horse holding two crossed swords over his head as a symbol of defiance and the union of Polish–Lithuanian forces. Known as theGrunwald Swords, they were the invitation to battle offered to the king and his allyVytautas the Great in an ironic gesture byUlrich von Jungingen, Grand Master of theTeutonic Order.
Parks Chief Consulting ArchitectAymar Embury II (1880–1966) designed the massive granite pedestal.[2]POLAND is inscribed on both sides of the plinth. Ostrowski's name is engraved in the front lower right-hand corner.
The inscription on theplinth of the King Jagiellomonument reads:
Thebronze monument was created for the1939 New York World's Fair's Polish pavilion by the Polish sculptorStanisław K. Ostrowski (1879–1947).[3] It stood at the Fair's entrance atQueens'Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.[4][3] It is a replica of a King Jagiello memorial inWarsaw that was converted into bullets forWorld War II by the Germans after they entered and occupied the capital of Poland.[5][6]
As a result of theGerman invasion of Poland that marked the beginning of theSecond World War, the personnel and equipment of the Polish World's Fair pavilion were forced to remain in the United States. Unlike much of the rest of the pavilion, which was sold to thePolish Museum of America in Chicago, the monument stayed in New York, thanks in part to MayorFiorello H. La Guardia publicly lobbying to keep the statue.[7]
The statue was presented to the City of New York by the King Jagiello Monument Committee, with support from thePolish government in exile on July 15, 1945, when it was permanently placed in Central Park with the cooperation of the lastconsul of theSecond Polish Republic or pre-communist Poland in New York, count Józef Kazimierz Krasicki and unveiled by him.[8][9] The event was a little over two months afterVictory in Europe Day (May 8) and the 535th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald.[10]
The monument wasconserved in 1986 by the Central Park Conservancy.[4] Further conservation was completed in completed September 2016.[2] The support structure, which attaches the monument to the granite base, was the major endeavor as well as the installation of a new stainless steel mounting system for the statue.[2] Additional work included the restoration the statue's patina and protective coating.[2]
