The Pillory in Wrocław

The Pillory in Wrocław is a reconstruction of a historic structure from 1492, located in the Market Square in front of the Courthouse of the town hall. Its construction, carried out in the stonemasonry workshop of Gauske and Preusse, references an earlier, wooden pillory from the 14th century. The pillory takes the form of a quadrangular sandstone pillar rising from a three-step base, with a five-sided lantern at the top, on which is placed a statue of an executioner with a sword, known as Roland. After 1492, the object was used for executions, the last of which took place in the mid-18th century. In the realm of culture, the pillory was the subject of legends, such as that of Wit Stwosz, who was accused of forging a promissory note. A turning point for the pillory came with the wars, which caused it significant damage, including in 1925 when wind knocked down the executioner's statue. After World War II, the pillory was dismantled in 1947, and its fragments were moved to the Museum of Architecture. The final reconstruction took place in the 1980s under the direction of architect Bogdan Jackiewicz, using documentation from earlier years. The pillory was officially unveiled on December 30, 1985, and the executioner's statue was installed in 2002, drawing inspiration from the drawings of Albrecht Dürer. The pillory is not only a testament to Wrocław's history but also an important cultural element, symbolizing the judicial practices of the past.