About This Location
Tucked by the Old Town’s brick defenses, a life-size bronze figure pauses near Castle Square, close to the Royal Castle. The statue shows Professor Jan Zachwatowicz mid-walk, one hand in a pocket, turned toward the castle - a quiet gesture that fits a man who spent his life protecting and rebuilding Warsaw’s heritage. Jan Zachwatowicz was an architect, architectural historian, and one of Poland’s most important conservators. After World War II, when Warsaw lay in ruins, he pushed for bringing back the historic city rather than replacing it with something entirely new. He worked in the postwar rebuilding structures and became a leading voice for careful reconstruction, especially in the Old Town. The Old Town that surrounds this spot is not just “old” in spirit. Much of it was rebuilt from rubble using archives, drawings, and fragments gathered from the ruins. That bold decision later became part of what made Warsaw’s Historic Centre unique - and it was recognized on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1980. This monument was unveiled on March 4, 2021, on the 121st anniversary of Zachwatowicz’s birth. It stands on the Międzymurze Piotra Biegańskiego, cast in bronze, and carries a simple plaque: “1900-1983 Jan Zachwatowicz, architect of Warsaw’s reconstruction.” The sculpture is by Karol Badyna.