Warsaw: King Zygmunt’s Column and Royal Castle.

“Sigismund’s Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), erected in 1644, is located in Castle Square, Warsaw. It is one of the city’s most famous landmarks and one of the oldest secular monuments in northern Europe. The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 had moved Poland’s capital from Kraków to Warsaw.

“The Royal Castle is a castle residency and was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from the 16th century until the Partitions of Poland. In its long history the Royal Castle was repeatedly devastated and plundered by Swedish, Brandenburgian, German, and Russian armies.”