The Charles de Gaulle Monument

Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II. He chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 and later became the President of France, serving until his resignation in 1969. De Gaulle rewrote the French Constitution, founded the Fifth Republic, and pursued a policy of "national independence," withdrawing from NATO's integrated military command and developing an independent nuclear strike force. He granted independence to Algeria and supported a Europe of sovereign nations. De Gaulle's legacy continues to influence French politics, with many parties and leaders claiming a Gaullist ideology.

The author of the statue is the French sculptor Jean Cardot, and the authors of the pedestal and its circular surroundings are Andrzej Kiciński, Marcin Bednarczyk, and Robert Jaworski. The bronze sculpture was cast in Bielsko-Biała by Marek Żebrowski from an original form borrowed by the author. The monument's site was made available by the Centrum Bankowo-Finansowe.

The monument was unveiled on May 15, 2005, by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michel Barnier.

The monument commemorates President of France Charles de Gaulle. The marching general is dressed in military uniform and kepi. The Warsaw statue is a copy of the monument unveiled in 2000 in Paris at the Champs-Élysées, but it is slightly taller and made of better material.

The idea of erecting the monument came from Jean Caillot, the chairman of the Polish section of the Association of Mutual Aid of Members of the Legion of Honor.