In the Fosa and Stoki Cytadeli Warszawskiej Park stands a sculpture entitled “Wierzba” (Willow) by Jan Sajdak. The installation was inaugurated on 25 October 2025, but its history goes back several years. The work was created from branches and colourful stained glass, which lights up whenever the sun comes out.
“Willow” and its origins
The origins of this story date back to 2018. At that time, an installation called “Willow Temple” appeared in the park in Żoliborz. Artist Jan Sajdak placed stained glass made from recycled plastic in the hollows of an old tree. It was his own technique, developed during the Warsaw City Art Scholarship. The colourful panes illuminated the trunk of the willow tree and quickly attracted the attention of residents.
Gradual degradation of the installation in Żoliborz
Over time, the willow trunk gradually decayed. The process of decay caused more and more pieces of wood to fall off, and with them, the stained glass windows embedded in the trunk disappeared. Eventually, the installation ceased to exist. Only a small living fragment of the tree remained in the park. It was a narrow strip of bark about 4 metres high, from which a green crown grew. This part of the plant was secured with a steel support to protect it from breaking.
New “Willow” – a spiral form made of branches and light
The new “Willow” was created around a surviving fragment of a tree. The structure is reminiscent of a twisted braid or a flame. The artist created it from hundreds of branches woven together over many months. Each element was fitted to the others like pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle. Colourful stained glass windows shimmer among the wooden lines, bringing the form to life in sunny weather. You can also enter the interior of the installation and observe the changing reflections of colours. The project was realised thanks to the support of the programme “Sculpture in Public Space for Independence – 2025” run by the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko, financed from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Artist Jan Sajdak
Jan Sajdak was born in 1987. He graduated with honours in 2016 from the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the studio of Prof. Antoni Janusz Pastwa. Land art, i.e. artistic activities carried out in the natural environment, plays an important role in his work. The artist creates installations made of natural materials that react to the surrounding conditions. Until recently, the sculpture “The Oarsman” stood near “The Willow,” but it was destroyed by vandals. We wrote more about this event HERE.
Source: warszawa.naszemiasto.pl,gazetazoliborza.pl
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