 A legend links Szczerbiec with King Bolesław I the Brave who was said to have chipped the sword by hitting it against the Golden Gate , Kiev ( now in Ukraine ) during his intervention in the Kievan succession crisis in 1018 . However , the Golden Gate was only constructed in 1037 and the sword is actually dated to the late 12th or 13th century . It was first used as a coronation sword by Władysław I the Elbow @-@ high in 1320 . Looted by Prussian troops in 1795 , it changed hands several times during the 19th century until it was purchased in 1884 for the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg , Russia . The Soviet Union returned it to Poland in 1928 . During World War II , Szczerbiec was evacuated to Canada and did not return to Kraków until 1959 . In the 20th century , an image of the sword was adopted as a symbol by Polish nationalist and far @-@ right movements . 
