The monument, also known as the Polish Column of Freedom, was erected on the shores of Lake Zurich in 1868. The pretext for its foundation was the centenary of the Bar Confederation, considered by many to be the first Polish national uprising. Originally, the column was to be erected in Zurich, but due to a lack of consent from the Zurich municipal authorities, Rapperswil was chosen as the location. The design was made by the Swiss architect Julius Stadler, and the execution was commissioned to the sculptor and stonemason Louis Wethli. The monument took the form of a black marble column (now cast in iron) set on a cuboidal plinth. At its top was a figure of an eagle with outstretched wings. It sits on a sphere with the inscription "POLONIA", with the contours of the Republic in the background. The height of the column is 6 m.

The monument, simple in shape, carries a rich symbolic and content meaning. The form of the column itself, as a commemoration of historical events or people, was derived from ancient tradition. Also used extensively in the modern era, especially during the Napoleonic period, it was probably a motif well known to Ladislas Broël-Plater. The eagle taking flight at the top of the Column is directly associated with the Polish emblem. The difference, however, is the absence of a crown on its head. In the 19th century, this form of representation was used by representatives of many national liberation movements postulating the introduction of political reforms. The pedestal of the Bar Column is decorated with a bas-relief, stylised coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, framed from the bottom by two branches: a laurel - symbol of victory, and an oak - symbol of strength and nobility. On the other planes are panels with inscriptions:

• on the south side: MAGNA RES LIBERTAS [Polish: freedom is a great thing]. This is where the names and dates of 11 Polish independence uprisings were originally engraved;
• on the western and northern side, an inscription in Polish and German explaining the origins of the monument: THE INDEFATIGABLE SPIRIT / OF POLAND / WITH A CENTURY / OF BLOODY STRUGGLE / PROTESTING / AGAINST / THE OPPRESSING / VIOLENCE / OF THE FREE LAND / OF THE HELVETS / SPEAKS TO / JUSTICE / OF GOD AND THE WORLD. Its author is Kornel Ujejski - poet and publicist, independence activist, participant in the January Uprising .

The Bar Column was read as an expression of reverie and reflection on the Polish struggle for independence, which had been going on for 100 years. The eagle soaring gave hope for the imminent rebirth of the Republic, and the globe on which it momentarily perched gave the whole a supranational dimension. To this day, the Bar Column remains an important element of the various anniversary celebrations held by the Swiss Polish community. Together with the Polish Museum, it has become a well-known symbol of the ideas of freedom and Polish-Swiss friendship.