Monument to Józef Piłsudski on plac Biegańskiego in Częstochowa

The Monument to Józef Piłsudski stands on plac Biegańskiego in Częstochowa. It was unveiled on 11 November 1997, and its author is the sculptor Stanisław Słonina.

From the idea to the unveiling

The first monument to the Marshal stood in Częstochowa in front of the school building on ulica Narutowicza, then Krakowska, until the beginning of the German occupation; the date of its removal is not known. In November 1981 the Józef Piłsudski Historical Club at the Częstochowa Solidarity chapter established the Social Committee for the Reconstruction of the Monument, but after martial law was introduced the authorities responded with repression and the seizure of contributions. The foundation act of the new monument was drawn up in August 1990. An urn with soil from the battlefield at Radzymin and from the Mother and Son's Heart mausoleum in Vilnius was to be placed in the plinth.

Two identical monuments

For a long time the exact place in the square was being decided. In 1997 Słonina also used the Częstochowa design for a commission for Płock, so two identical monuments were created. The Płock one was unveiled on 18 August 1997, the Częstochowa one on 11 November of the same year.

The third monument in this square

Plac Biegańskiego had earlier had other monuments. Shortly after the war a monument to a Soviet tank crewman was put up here, and on 9 May 1968 it was replaced by a monument of gratitude to the Soviet Army designed by Marian Konieczny. The Piłsudski monument is therefore the third in this place.

Practical information

• Location: plac Biegańskiego in Częstochowa, in the city centre.
• The monument stands in an open space and can be seen at any time. Nearby is the Częstochowa Museum, and it is about 1.1 km to Jasna Góra.