This is a monument to Dżok, pronounced ‘jock’, one of the most loyal dogs to have ever lived.
When Dżok’s owner died of a cardiac arrest at a nearby roundabout, Dżok waited there in vain for an entire year to be fetched and taken home.
The sculpture symbolises the boundless bond between person and pet that is rarely demonstrated more so than in Dżok’s hopeful and mournful wait.
In a sense, the sculpture is a testament to the power of selfless love and it made me smile to see such an affecting example memorialised in this way, standing as a poignant reminder of how precious four-legged friends are.
Evidently, Dżok’s heart-wrenching faith had a touching impact on the community; the locals continue to pay their respects to him and the sense of agape imbued in a pet by its guardian that his likeness represents, as there was an elegant candle burning beneath him at the time I visited.
The monument is a substantial size but not overbearing and is located in the strip of parkland between the Vistula and Wawel hill, just beyond the fire-breathing dragon sculpture, therefore simple to include before or after a visit to the castle and cathedral.