Kłodzko has its Fortress and Gothic Stone Bridge, Ząbkowice Śl. its Leaning Tower, Świdnica its wooden Church of Peace, Oleśnica its magnificent Piast Castle, and Lwówek Śląski its oldest Gothic Town Hall, apart from Wrocław’s, etc.
Bolesławiec, unfortunately, was not lucky enough to preserve a keepsake of this kind. The castle was demolished, and the war did not spare many of our city’s monuments either.
However, we do have a monument. Frederick William III, King of Prussia, commissioned an obelisk in honour of the Prince of Smolensk, Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, which was erected in the Town Square. Improvements to traffic circulation in the square led the town authorities to move the monument in 1893 to a site beside the defensive walls, near today’s Kubika Street. The project was designed by the renowned architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and the sculptor Gottfried Schadow was responsible for its execution.
The monumental, soaring obelisk stands on a pedestal surrounded by four reclining lions. The harmony of the proportions of its individual elements, together with its integration into the landscape along the defensive walls, creates a pleasing accent in this part of the city.
Unfortunately, time takes its toll. Corrosion has damaged the cast-iron elements, and the inscriptions have lost their legibility. The monument was restored in the 1960s. Now its future is uncertain. There are even supporters of dismantling it, which would be the worst possible solution. The monument has become part of the city’s architecture and has itself become the kind of historical symbol mentioned at the beginning—symbols that other cities have. It should be treated as a historical keepsake, regardless of who erected it and for whom.
In 1993, 100 years will have passed since it was moved to its present location. Perhaps this will be an opportunity to renovate it? Bolesławiec is establishing cooperation with the city of Siegburg, where many former residents of Bolesławiec live. Perhaps the city of Siegburg would sponsor the renovation of the monument?