A forgery made in Poland. How the monument to the anniversary of the Union of Krewo was falsified

In the very center of Krakow stands a monument dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Union of Krewo. According to the official version, it depicts King Wladyslaw II Jagiello of Poland and his wife Jadwiga. However, few realize that in these figures, the sculptor fashioned entirely different people.

In 1866, the Polish sculptor and restorer Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski created a monument in honor of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland. The sculpture depicted Prince Mieszko I and his wife Dobrawa – those with whom the Christianization of the country began. However, this monument was meant to stand not in Krakow, but in the Vatican. It was expected that the Pope would place it in his gardens. Yet, for some reason, the sculpture never reached him and simply remained in Rome, where the author worked in those years.

And so, in 1885, when the 500th anniversary of the Union of Krewo arrived, a need arose for a monument for this event. It was then discovered that Sosnowski had moved his work to Krakow – in the hope that a place would be found for it there. And he was not mistaken! The city authorities, unwilling to allocate funds for a new monument, simply erected the already created sculpture, even though it was dedicated to other people.

The figures on the monument do not quite correspond to the images of Jagiello and Jadwiga, neither in their features nor in their clothing. Moreover, the sculpture was installed a year later than the anniversary year, and on the pedestal, executed by the Polish architect Karol Knaus, an incorrect date for the signing of the union is carved – 1386 instead of 1385. Therefore, it can be said that the monument is actually dedicated to the 501st anniversary of the conclusion of the alliance between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.