Saski Garden and Saski Palace

The Saski (or Saxon) Garden is the oldest public garden in Warsaw, it was opened in early 18th century. It ownes its name to the Saxon dinasty that ruled Poland at the time it was created. The main element of the part is the fountain. It is closed in winter unfortunately.

The garden is not very big but it has a nice symetry.

You probably wonder what is this engraved place on which I stand. This is a solar clock or a sundial. The date engraved on it is 1863.

As you see, the lanes are decorated with nice statues. They represent various topics, like times of the year, types of arts or virtues. They total up to 21.

The garden includes also a small lake. The building in the back is a part of the Warsaw water system. It was designed by Enrico (Henryk) Marconi, the same who has designed the health spa in Busko-Zdrój that I have shown some time ago.

You probably noticed that the lake is completely frozen. Just a small place for the ducks.

Originally, the most important building in the Garden was the Saski Palace. Unfortunately, it was almost entirely destroyed during World War I. Only a small balcony part remained. It was then turned into a monument devoted to the Unknown Soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. Since its creation it was a very important place for all Polish people. This was one of the reasons why nazis destroyed it in 1944. It was reconstructed after World War II in its current shape.

The Tomb is guarded by soldiers, day and night. An eternal fire is burning.

You can see the list of major battles in which Polish soldiers perished on the tables on the walls of the Tomb. This one shows the first ones, starting back in 972 (and no, I did not miss "1" at the beggining, the Polish state dates back to the 10th centruy).

Before the Tomb you will see the square devoted to marchal Piłsudski. It is the major place of gatherings and public events of historical value. One of them is comemmorated by this cross.

It was built in the memory of a mass that the pope John Paul II had on the square in June 1979. He then said "May the Holy Spirit change this land". Many Poles believe it to be a prohecy that fulfilled itself in 1989 when Poland regained its full independence.

The surroundings of the Saski Garden are also very interesting. But I will show you them in a separate note.