Jan Kiliński’s Monument (Podwale Street)
Jan Kiliński was born in 1760 in Trzemeszno in Wielkopolska. Twenty years later, he moved to Warsaw and became a shoemaker. He quickly gained a wide clientele and made his fortune. In 1792 he became a councillor of Warsaw. When in March, 1794 the Kościuszko insurrection broke out, secret preparations for the uprising against tsarist Russia began in Warsaw. Also the leader of the guild of shoemakers Jan Kiliński joined the conspiracy. The news about the insurgents’ victory at the Battle of Racławice and the conspirations’ information about the pacification of the capital planned by the Russians on April 19th, were the motive of the outbreak of fighting in the streets of the city on April 17th. Jan Kiliński was one of the commanders of the people, contributing to the liberation of the capital from the Russian possession. On the second day of fighting, Kiliński led the Warsaw people to conquer the palace where the Russian embassy was placed. Polish prisoners were released from the cellars. On April 19th, the insurrection joined the Kościuszko uprising and Tadeusz Kościuszko was titled the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Jan Kiliński is a symbol of Polish patriotic middle class. The thought of his adoration was born after regaining independence. The unveiling of the monument on April 19th 1936 had a supreme character. It was attended by the President Ignacy Mościcki. At the end of the ceremony, there was the march of representatives of the Warsaw guilds in the streets of the capital city. Originally unveiled in 1936 at the Krasiński Square, several times changed its location, to finally stand at Podwale Street. The history of the monument during the German occupation is interesting. In February 1942, the German occupiers in revenge for the so- called action of small sabotage, removed the monumental sculpture from the pedestal and hid in the basement of the National Museum. The small sabotage action was intended to removing of the German plaque from the Nicolaus Copernicus’s statue. Almost immediately, thanks to the underground activity, the inscription appeared on the wall of the National Museum. It was written: “People of Warsaw, I am here! Jan Kiliński”. The repressive actions of the occupying force, saved the monument involuntarily. It survived the war and returned to its place. Then, in 1959, thanks to the efforts of the Warsaw Chamber of Craft (Warszawska Izba Rzemieślnicza), it was transferred to Podwale Street, closer to the place where the brave shoemaker lived, worked and fought.