Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

(Click here for a map of the American monuments/sites in Warsaw listed below)

(Thanks to Ryszard Piwowar for his help with this post)

If you have any additional suggestions to make this list more complete, please feel free to comment or contact me.

Visitors to Warsaw’s new National Stadium get off the tram at Rondo Jerzego Waszyngtona. The circle, one of the main intersections in right-bank Warsaw, takes its name from the noted plantation owner George Washington (with a slight Polish language make-over). A small statue honors the first president, and provides him with a great view of the new giant UFO/ghastly basket/stadium.
One of the streets exiting the circle is Aleja Jerzego Waszyngtona (George Washington Avenue) which separates the Saska Kępa neighborhood from Park Skaryszewski.
Washington Waszyngton is one of two former U.S. presidents to lend his name to a major urban hub in Warsaw.

Plac Thomasa W. Wilsona is the centerpiece of Żoliborz, a 1920s residential district north of the city center. While Washington’s connection to Poland is not particularly obvious, Wilson’s isn’t – he was a leading figure in Poland’s rebirth following WWI. His 1924 death caused the first Day of National Mourning to be proclaimed by the independent Polish state – naming the main square of a newly built district reflects that respect.

Visitors can savor another Polish-English linguistic nugget pulling into the Plac Wilsona metro station, “Plac Vil-soh-NA” rings out in the train. When the station opened in 2005, the Council for the Polish Language weighed in with an opinion that the Polish pronunciation (with a ‘v’ sound) is preferred to the English one, and the metro dutifully followed suit.

(A few minutes away, in Aleja Wojska Polskiego – Avenue of the Polish Military, there is a massive monument honoring the Military Effort of the American Polonia. It is dedicated to the 20,000 Polish-Americans from the U.S. and Canada, who volunteered to fight for Polish freedom in during and after World War I.)

The Poles’ gratitude to Wilson extended to his right-hand man Edward M. House (Col. House to friends). He was seen as a main influence behind Wilson’s pro-Polish stance. This gratitude leads us back to Rondo Waszyngtona, where the largely forgotten House has his own statue in Park Skaryszewski. The inscription reads: “Colonel Edward M. House, U.S. Statesman, A friend of Poland, Statue funded by Ignace Jan Paderewski in 1932. Destroyed around 1951, rebuilt in 1991 through the joint efforts of Poles at home and in the U.S. To a noble advocate of the Polish cause.”

Poland’s Communist rulers and their Moscow-based bosses weren’t particularly eager to play up American Imperialists’ role in Poland’s reestablishment in 1918. In 1953, Plac Wilsona became the Paris Commune Square (at least officially – no self-respecting Varsovian ever referred to it as that). House’s statue had an even more violent introduction to Communist rule, and was destroyed “sometime around 1951” (the height/depth of Stalinist rule), and wasn’t rebuilt until 1991 – financed by Polish-Americans. The American Polonia monument was only built in 1998, also financed by Polish-American groups.

(Park Skaryszewski is also home to a memorial for Polish victims of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks – located on the left hand side, near the main entrance.)

The next U.S. president with some prime real-estate is Herbert Hoover, who has a small square named after him on Warsaw’s Royal Route (within spitting distance of the presidential residence.) Unfortunately for Hoover, he is often mistaken for J. Edgar. A few months back a highly emotional Spanish tourist spotted me taking a picture of the sign, and became upset that the city decided to honor the former FBI chief who, as the Spaniard explained, was a “sick man.”
I tried to explain to him that this was a different American Hoover, but he did not seem entirely convinced, and went away shaking his head. Herbert Hoover’s connection to Poland is related to his activities at the American Relief Administration following World War I, where he organized shipments of clothing and food for war victims. A small stone monument from 1922 commemorates the American aid and Hoover’s role in it.

The same year, a Monument of Gratitude to America, designed by Polish sculptor Xawery Dunikowski, was placed at Hoover Square. Unfortunately, by 1930, the sandstone sculpture was falling apart and had to be removed. In 1951, the pedestal was also removed, but we are left with a 1946 photo of Hoover visiting his square and the pedestal/water fountain in war ravaged Warsaw.
In 1951, the pedestal was also removed, but we are left with a 1946 photo of Hoover visiting his square and the pedestal/water fountain in war ravaged Warsaw. One of the main arteries on Warsaw’s right bank is Aleja Stanów Zjednoczonych (Avenue of the United States), which runs, more or less, parallel to Aleja Jerzego Waszyngtona. It is currently a major highway connecting the Łazienkowski Bridge with right bank housing developments. The name dates back to the 1930s (at least in plans), and was in use throughout the Communist era (starting in 1961 when its first part appeared on a map).

Just last fall, Ronald Reagan was added to Warsaw’s list of honored U.S. Presidents. The Gipper stands behind a lectern, looking away from the hideous monstrosity that is the 1971 U.S. Embassy standing across Aleje Ujazdowskie. Reagan’s anti-Soviet and pro-Polish efforts have long made him a favorite among Poles.

A small street in the right bank Wawer neighborhood is named after one of the greatest New Jerseyans ever – Thomas Edison (Tomasz Edison). The name was given because Poles, like most people, appreciate light bulbs. According to J. Kasprzycki’s Korzenie Miasta vol. II, the pre-war executive of Wawer, Emil Wolfram, refused to have the street named after him, and suggested Edison – the inventor of the light bulb. The word ‘wolfram,’ is another name for the chemical element tungsten – used in making incandescent light bulbs, and Wolfram explained that would be honor enough for him.

(Thanks to Ryszard Piwowar for his help with this post)