An equestrian monument to Bolesław Chrobry on Świdnicka street, the first equestrian monument of post-war Wrocław, unveiled in 2007.
The Monument to Bolesław Chrobry in Wrocław is an equestrian monument to the king, standing on Świdnicka street. It was designed by Dorota Korzeniewska, Maciej Albrzykowski and Grażyna Jaskierska-Albrzykowska, and unveiled on 15 September 2007.
The sculpture is the first equestrian monument erected in post-war Wrocław. It stands on the spot where, before 1945, a monument to Emperor Wilhelm I stood. Bolesław Chrobry holds in his hand the spear of Saint Maurice, a symbol of imperial power.
The plinth is wrapped in a bronze ribbon with text in Polish, German and Czech, and a map of Europe from the year 1000. The ribbon also bears bas-reliefs, including of Pope Sylvester II, Emperor Otto III and St Adalbert.
The monument, together with the plinth, is about 10 metres high. The figure of the king with his horse alone was cast in bronze and weighs about 6.5 tonnes. It was created on the initiative of Krzysztof Wójcik, Tomasz Kabat and Krzysztof Mironowicz, founders of the Pro Wratislavia Foundation. It refers to the year 1000, when, thanks to Bolesław Chrobry, a bishopric was established in Wrocław, making the city the region's capital and speeding up its development.
Historians point out that the horse shown on the monument does not correspond to the breeds found in early medieval Europe. The monument's creators explain this by saying the sculpture was not meant to be realistic, but rather to present a figurative vision of the ruler.
A few hundred metres from the monument stand the Wrocław Opera and the National Forum of Music, and not far away stretches Wrocław's Market Square.
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