Guard of honour at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Saxon Palace colonnade
The Saxon Palace with its central colonnade seen across Piłsudski Square
The surviving arches of the tomb among the rubble of the blown-up Saxon Palace
The restored tomb with its urns, looking out at the ruined Grand Theatre across the square
The free-standing arcade of the tomb on Victory Square, with the Saxon Garden behind
The tomb seen across the empty Piłsudski Square
The arcade of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the eternal flame
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was created in 1925 in the central colonnade of the Saxon Palace, which closed the west side of today's Piłsudski Square. German troops blew up the palace in December 1944; only three arcades of the colonnade with the tomb survived. The tomb was restored and reopened in 1946 as a free-standing monument in front of the Saxon Garden. In 2021 the decision was taken to rebuild the Saxon Palace, and archaeological excavations on its site followed.