Vienna refuses to install monument to Christian king due to Islamophobia

Monument to Polish King Jan III Sobieski in Gdansk, Poland. Photo: Heute

On January 26, 2026, it became known that Vienna authorities refused to install a monument to Polish King Jan III Sobieski, citing concerns about inciting Islamophobic and anti-Turkish sentiments, reports Heute.

The matter concerns a statue of the Christian monarch that was planned to be installed on Kahlenberg Hill – the site of Sobieski's decisive victory over the Ottoman army in 1683. The project was first proposed in 2013 and officially approved by city authorities in 2018, however at the end of 2024 the municipality reconsidered its decision and abandoned the implementation, leaving an empty pedestal at the site of the future monument.

Vienna City Council stated that it does not intend to create a space that could be used for xenophobic agitation, as well as for Islamophobic or anti-Turkish sentiments. These arguments provoked a sharp reaction in Poland, where the Austrian capital's decision was viewed as a refusal of previously given commitments.

Polish Ambassador to Austria Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that Vienna had previously promised to install the monument, while the statue itself has already been made and is located in Poland. He also pointed to existing memorials to controversial historical figures in the Austrian capital, questioning why a different approach is being applied to the Christian king who is credited with saving Vienna.

Opposition parties in Austria also subjected the decision to sharp criticism. Representatives of the Austrian People's Party called the situation a farce, while the right-nationalist FPÖ characterized the refusal to install the monument as a scandalous and ideologically motivated step.

As earlier reported, Britain will build a "Christian monument" in the form of a Möbius strip.

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