Today's comments will be about King Zygmunt III's Column in Warsaw.  It seems like most European cities have something very tall that becomes a known part of what to look for when you visit.  Zygmunt's Column is one of those special landmarks.  It is the oldest secular statue in Poland and was erected in 1644.  It stands 72 feet high.  The statue is made of bronze and shows the former ruler with a cross in one hand and a sword in the other.  Obviously it has been damaged and repaired over those hundreds of years, especially in light of the heavy bombing in Warsaw during World War II.  During the War, the column took a direct hit from a tank shell and came crashing down.  However, Zygmont survived losing only his sword.  Local legend says that Zygmunt rattles his sabre whenever Warsaw is in trouble and I imagine that sabre rattled quite a bit when it was struck by the shell!  The column was erected once again in 1949.  You can see the previous column resting on the ground a short distance away.  I know we were told something special about touching or circling the column and it bringing us good luck or bringing us back to Poland, but I can't remember the "formula" and what it does so you are on your own in bringing about either of those two results.

It is amazing that Old Warsaw still stands!  This is due to painstaking reconstruction.  The decision was made to return the city to its appearance as it was prior to World War II.  This was a huge effort because the city was 85% destroyed by the end of the War.  It was rebuilt using sketches, paintings, and photograhs and the reconstruction was not completed until 1962.  All that effort makes it look now like it did prior to the War.  The results are wonderful!