A statue dedicated to the man who is widely recognised as having been the key figure in Poland regaining her independence after 123 years in 1918 and then preserving it by defeating the Red Army on their advance westward in August 1920 in what came to be known as the ‘Miracle on the Vistula’. Marshall Piłsudski distrusted Polish democracy, which he considered weak and corruptible, in the years following her independence and eventually took power by a coup in 1926. Despite ruling by what even supporters described as authoritarian methods, Piłsudski is still widely respected for his strong leadership in the nine years before his death in 1935 and his body is buried in the crypt of the royal castle of Wawel in Krakow. This 3.5 metre tall statue located outside of the Gdynia City Hall was designed by Stanisław Szwechowicz and was unveiled on November 10, 2013 after money was collected by the Piłsudski Association and the local government.