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All Poland Krakow Kościuszko Mound

Kościuszko Mound

This man-made mound monument was built out of soil from all across the Polish empire.

Krakow, Poland

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
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Kościuszko Mound   wizzard on Wikipedia
Kościuszko Mound   RJ1979 on Wikipedia
Kościuszko Mound   Bogdan Migulski on Flickr
Kościuszko Mound   J€RRY on Flickr
Kościuszko Mound Oct ‘19   Trogfoot / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
Kościuszko Mound Oct ‘19   Trogfoot / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
Bronisława Chapel   argusfoto
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About

The city of Kraków, Poland, is home to four man-made hills or mounds that honor some of the country's greatest leaders. One of the more recent mounds, the Kościuszko Mound, was specifically created to mimic its more ancient inspirations, but cuts a no less impressive image on the Kraków skyline.

Completed in 1823, the Kościuszko Mound is a well-manicured corkscrew of a hill, surrounded by a brick fortification at its base. The mound was created to honor Polish nationalist Tadeusz Kościuszko who was renowned and beloved for his battles against foreign powers in Poland. When Kościuszko died, his body was placed in the royal crypts, but the people demanded a more public monument. Thus in the tradition of the Mound of Krakus and others in the area, they began to build a memorial hill. Funding was provided by Polish residents from all over the country and other outlying Polish settlements, and people came from all over, bringing dirt from their towns and villages to add to the mound. Unlike the older mounds that had been built centuries earlier, which were simply rounded hill forms, this new mound was created with a distinct path winding up to the peak where a commemorative boulder had been placed. 

Decades after its completion, a brick fort was built around the base while the elevated peak was used as a strategic military position. Over the years, the iconic hill has been damaged by weather and erosion but each time it has been repaired by local citizens and government who see the mound as a powerful symbol of Polish independence.     

Related Tags

Mounds Monuments Memorials Architectural Oddities Memento Mori Architecture

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Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

argusfoto, Trogfoot, Johan SWE

  • argusfoto
  • Trogfoot
  • Johan SWE

Published

December 8, 2014

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Sources
  • http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/krakow/sightseeing/Salwator/Kosciuszko-Mound_97692v
  • http://www.kopieckosciuszki.pl/?x=historia_kopca&lang=en
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C5%9Bciuszko_Mound
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessed_Bronis%C5%82awa_Chapel
Kościuszko Mound
al. Waszyngtona 1
Krakow
Poland
50.052833, 19.8895
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