In 1948 the former ‘passage’ from the market place to the St. Peter’s Church was transformed into the present Stanislas Gate, a monument of honour to the Poles who liberated the city from the Nazis in 1944.

St. Stanislas, patron saint of Poland, adorns a niche above the gate. The statue was made by M. Vander Meeren; he was inspired by a stained-glass window from a Dominican monastery in Krakau. This artist from Tielt also made the phoenix, the consoles with shields of Belgium, Poland, the first Polish Armoured Division and the Secret Army of Belgium, as well as the lantern inside the gate.