The Monument to the Presidents of Great Warsaw – Stefan Starzyński and Julian Spitosław Kulski presents the profiles of two figures, who rendered great service to the development of the capital.
The sculpture by Paweł Pietrusiński duly pays tribute to the heroic attitudes of both Presidents during the Second World War, and emphasizes their contribution to the civilian population and the development of the capital”s infrastructure before the Second World War.
The form of the sculpture connects the past with the present – life-size brass casts of the figures of both presidents were made on the basis of a historical photograph of the ‘walk” of both presidents on the Vistula boulevards built at that time.anych w owym czasie bulwarów wiślanych.
The initiative and overall idea of the construction of the monument to the Presidents of Great Warsaw belong to the recently deceased prof. Julian Eugeniusz Kulski – Warsaw insurgent, Colonel of the Polish Army, professor of architecture, long-time associate of the World Bank. Both the location and the form of the sculpture emphasize the contribution of both presidents to the expansion and modernization of the pre-war capital.
The sculpture also aims to introduce the concept of Great Warsaw to the public and make the residents and visitors of the capital aware of how many elements of the capital”s infrastructure were planned and modernized by its pre-war authorities.
Many residents of the capital are still unaware of the important role played by the Warsaw City Hall in the fight for Polish independence. In the pre-war years, Julian Spitosław Kulski (father of the founder of Kulski Foundation) was the right-hand and a close friend of President Stefan Starzyński. After the arrest of President Stefan Starzyński by the Germans in October 1939, Kulski became his successor.
With the consent of the Underground State and the government-in-exile, he was the president of the city. As a member of the resistance movement, he took an active role in saving the city”s inhabitants, incl. by issuing false identity documents or work certificates for the City Hall. Thus, he saved thousands of people from certain death. The purpose of the construction of the monument is to cultivate the memory of these heroic achievements and deeds among the next generations of Poles.
The location of the Monument to the Presidents of Great Warsaw on the Vistula boulevards in Warsaw is not a coincidence. It was exactly here in 1937 that a historical photograph of Presidents Starzyński and Kulski visiting the area of the then built Vistula boulevards was taken.
This photograph was later an inspiration for the artist, sculptor Paweł Pietrusiński, who recreated the “pre-war walk” of both presidents in an original way. In this way, both the location and the form of the monument gained a double meaning – it connects the past with the present. It emphasizes the historical continuity of many initiatives initiated by the pre-war authorities of the capital with elements of architecture that we can admire today.
On 09 October, 2021 the Monument to the Presidents of Great Warsaw was unveiled on the Vistula boulevards.
The monument was officially unveiled by Catharine Kulski, wife of prof. Julian Eugeniusz Kulski, Małgorzata Bogusz, President of the Kulski Foundation, Minister Jan Dziedziczak, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and Włodzimierz Karpiński, Secretary of the Capital City of Warsaw.
During the official unveiling ceremony of the monument to the Presidents of Great Warsaw, the letter of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was read by Minister Jan Dziedziczak, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the letter of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport Piotr Gliński was presented by Kacper Sakowicz, Head of the Minister’s political cabinet. On behalf of the President of the Capital City of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, the speech was delivered by the Secretary of the City of Warsaw, Włodzimierz Karpiński.
The monument commemorates two figures of great merit for the development of the Polish capital – Stefan Starzyński and Julian Spitosław Kulski, the Presidents of Warsaw. It is to pay a tribute to their services to the civilian population during World War II and contribution to the development of the capital’s infrastructure in the interwar period. The inspiration for the sculptor Paweł Pietrusiński was a photo showing presidents Starzyński and Kulski visiting the area of the then built Vistula boulevards.
The initiative and overall idea of the construction of the monument to the Presidents of Great Warsaw belong to the recently deceased prof. Julian Eugeniusz Kulski – Warsaw insurgent, Colonel of the Polish Army, professor of architecture, long-time associate of the World Bank, as well as the Founder the Kulski Foundation.
We would like to thank everyone, who participated personally in this unique ceremony and those, who followed today’s events via our social media.
