Much before any of the landmarks in the Castle Square register, it is the towering Sigismund’s Column that catches one’s attention. Built in 1644, it is considered to be among the most famous and oldest landmarks of this part of Europe. It was erected by King Wladyslaw IV Vasa to commemorate the feat of moving the Polish capital from Krakow to Warsaw by his father King Sigismund III Vasa. The column, 22 metres in height, Corinthian in design, was originally made of red marble but was destroyed in 1944. It has been replaced with a granite column, atop which sits a bronze sculpture of King Sigismund clad in armour, with a cross and a sword.