Kościuszko Mound

Lonely Planet review

The prime attraction of the suburb called Zwierzyniec, just under 3km west of the Old Town, is the Kościuszko Mound, erected between 1820 and 1823 soon after Kościuszko's death, to pay tribute to the man who embodied the dreams of independent Poland in times of foreign occupation. The mound stands 34m high, and soil from the Polish and American battlefields where Kościuszko fought was placed here. The views over the city are spectacular.

The entrance is through a small neo-Gothic chapel, which has an exhibition of memorabilia related to Kościuszko; there is a separate waxworks exhibition called Polish Routes to Independence. The large brick fortification at the mound's foothill is a fortress built by the Austrians in the 1840s (now a hotel).

To reach the mound by public transport, take tram 1, 2 or 6 southwest to the end of the line; get off at Salwator and board bus 100, which will take you (every hour or so) directly to entrance.