Base of the Bar Column – relief marble plate with the coat of arms of the First Republic

White marble plate by Louis Wethli, sculpted and fixed in the column base, presents a stylized, quadripartite coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (with two squares presenting crowned white Eagle – coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland and two squares with the image of Pahonia – coat of arms of Lithuania). According to the adopted heraldic rules, the coat of arms of the Republic was in its upper part finished with royal crown. In its lower part, it is encircled with two twigs: laurel twig symbolizing victory and oak twig – symbolizing power, nobility and fame, tied with a ribbon including the inscription: DEUS SERVET POLONIAM [God protect Poland]. Date of unveiling of the monument was placed below: DIE XVI / M. AUGUSTI / MDCCCLXVIII [On 16th M[onth] August 1868], in the bottom right hand corner the initials of the author of the relief were included L.W. [Louis Wethli].
Due to turbulent history of the Rapperswil column within the years to come, Wethli’s plate constituted the only preserved element of the monument erected in 1868.