The Bison Statue in Spała

The Bison Monument in Spała is a life-sized statue of a bison, which is part of a historical monument originally erected in Zwierzyniec to commemorate Emperor Alexander II’s hunting expedition in the Białowieża Forest in 1860. Designed by Mihály Zichy, the statue was cast in St. Petersburg and placed in Zwierzyniec in 1862. After World War I, due to wartime events, the sculpture was taken to Russia on the orders of Emperor Nicholas II. In 1915, the statue was moved to Moscow, and after the war, the Polish government made efforts to recover it, succeeding in 1924 when the returned statue was placed in the courtyard of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. In 1928, President Ignacy Mościcki decided to move the Bison to Spała, where a hunting residence was located. The monument became a local symbol and, in 1935, gained status as the emblem of the Jubilee Scout Rally of Polish Scouting. Interestingly, the statue survived World War II, despite German plans to transport it to Berlin towards the end of the war—one officer even attempted to detach the Bison’s head. After the war, starting in 1981, Białowieża made efforts to reclaim the sculpture, but these were unsuccessful until 2014, when a faithful replica was unveiled in Zwierzyniec. The Bison Monument plays an important role not only as a cultural heritage object but also as a symbol of history and Polish heritage.