Józef Piłsudski Monument in Toruń, monument in Toruń, Poland

The Józef Piłsudski Monument in Toruń is a statue standing on a large square and easy to find when walking through the city. The bronze figure shows Piłsudski in uniform with a serious expression, leaning on one hand and holding a sword, roughly four meters tall on a tall stone base with an inscription.

The idea of a monument was raised by MP Jan Wyrowiński on 11 November 1997, and the statue by Gdańsk sculptor Stanisław Szwechowicz was unveiled on 15 August 2000, the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw. The site had earlier been intended for other monuments: in 1928 the city planned a Monument of Victory and Freedom for the tenth anniversary of independence, and during the German occupation a new Copernicus monument was planned, possibly here.

The Polish inscription on the granite base reads "Marshal Józef Piłsudski 1867–1935. To the Reviver of the Polish State, Honorary Citizen of Toruń, on the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, the Residents of Toruń and Chełmno Land". It was funded by local residents, and the monument was unveiled on 15 August 2000, the anniversary of the battle.

The monument stands on a public square in the city center and is easily accessible by several pathways during the day. The location is quiet with benches nearby where visitors can sit and view the statue without disrupting foot traffic.

The spot where the statue stands was twice earmarked for other monuments. In 1928 the city planned a Monument of Victory and Freedom for the tenth anniversary of independence, but it was never built. During World War II the German occupiers planned a new Copernicus monument; one hypothesis places it here, though art historian Katarzyna Kluczwajd rejects that and points to the site of the Helios sculpture.