Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Saxon Garden

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Poland's central war memorial, set under a surviving fragment of colonnade on Pilsudski Square in Warsaw, and people come to see the eternal flame and the honour guard that changes every hour, every day of the year. The colonnade is the only part of the Saxon Palace left standing after the destruction of 1944, which gives the monument its weight. Directly behind it opens the Saxon Garden, a Baroque public park from the 18th century, so a short visit takes you from solemn ceremony to open green space in a few steps.

The memorial sits within a stone fragment of colonnade, all that remains of the Saxon Palace that once stood here before it was demolished in 1944. An eternal flame burns at the tomb, and a military honour guard keeps watch and changes every hour, throughout the day and night, on every day of the year. The changing of the guard is the moment most visitors wait for, a short drilled ceremony worth timing your arrival around. Stone tablets set into the structure record battles and places tied to Poland's fallen.

Since 1925 the tomb has held the remains of an unidentified soldier who died in the defence of Lwow, chosen to honour all of Poland's fallen rather than any single name. That idea, one anonymous soldier standing for every soldier lost, is why the site has become the focus for state commemorations and official wreath-laying. Placing it under the ruined palace colonnade also ties the memorial directly to the wartime destruction of Warsaw itself.

Behind the tomb the Saxon Garden (Ogrod Saski) opens out, a Baroque park laid out in the 18th century and among the oldest in the city. It was created as the grounds of the Saxon Palace and later opened to the public, with tree-lined avenues, a fountain and Baroque statues along the paths. After the formality of the memorial it is an easy place to slow down, sit for a while and let children run about.

Pilsudski Square sits in Srodmiescie, within walking distance of the Old Town, Krakowskie Przedmiescie and the Royal Route, so the tomb and garden slot naturally into a central walking day. Many visitors pass through on the way between the Old Town and the wider city centre, pausing for the guard change before continuing on. For ideas on linking it with other sights nearby, see our Warsaw guide.