A plaque commemorating Catherine Jagiellon, the youngest daughter of Polish King Sigismund I and Bona Sforza and wife of Swedish King John III, is located in the forest near Taxinge.

The exact date of its creation has not been established, but the monument was already described in 19th century lexicons on Swedish antiquities, such as Olof Hermelin's work 'Selebo härads fornlemningar' and 'Historiskt Geografiskt Och Statistiskt Lexikon Öfver Sverige'. The slab was made of red Jotnic sandstone and is stylised as a natural rock element.

The inscription on it refers to a legend according to which Queen Katherine Jagiellon drew water from the spring every day and brought it to her husband, the future King John III of Sweden, who was imprisoned by King Eric XIV at Gripsholm Castle between 1563 and 1567, because she feared that the guards might poison her husband by giving him poisoned water to drink. The spring has since been called the Queen's Spring (Drottningkällan).

This interesting monument underwent a comprehensive restoration in the summer of 2019. The restoration work, carried out by Polish art conservator Anna Sztymelska-Karczewska, was fully financed by the National Institute for Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad POLONIKA. They consisted primarily of cleaning the stone slab of organic debris, removing old layers of paint and glue, protecting the metal fastening elements from corrosion, and protecting the top layers of stone from peeling. The inscription was then authenticated, with the original inscription restored and the royal crown gilded. The final stage of the works included cleaning up and securing the immediate surroundings of the slab.

It should be emphasised that, due to the immediate vicinity of the spring, all conservation work was carried out in a way that excluded water contamination. Most of the treatment was carried out using mechanical techniques and natural preparations, which decompose easily in the environment. The use of chemicals (paints, impregnants, etc.) was reduced to the minimum necessary, with the utmost care taken during their application.

The realisation of this project would not have been possible without the comprehensive support and kindness of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Stockholm.

Supervisor: Anna Sztymelska-Karczewska

Conservation work carried out in 2019, Conservation Programme, Polonica Institute