In the centre of Palace Square stands Sigismund's Column, Poland's first secular monument, erected in 1644 by King Wladyslaw IV to his father Sigismund III Waza.
The entire eastern part of the square is occupied by the Royal Castle. In the 13th century there was a wooden fortress, then a palace was built, around which the Old Town eventually grew. After the transfer of the capital from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596, the castle became the official royal residence. During the next reconstruction of the castle, a pentagonal layout with three gates appeared. The western gate - the Gentry Gate - topped by a 16-metre high clock tower, opens onto the square.
