Copernicus Bench in Ełk

On one of the benches in Ełk's Copernicus Park sits someone who, as the Polish saying goes, "stopped the Sun and moved the Earth". The figure of Nicolaus Copernicus waits for you to sit down beside him, while stone spheres – the Sun and the planets of the Solar System – line the paths. It is a small but clever spot by the Ełk river: a short stop on a town walk that children will remember longer than many a physics lesson.

A park with a Solar System

Copernicus Park was laid out on ul. Wojska Polskiego, on the bank of the Ełk river, where a violent storm had flattened all the trees a few years earlier. The design was announced in March 2014; it included a model of the Solar System with the Sun and eight planets and paths reflecting the planets' orbits. The stone "planets" were already in place by the end of 2014.

On one of the benches sits a figure of Nicolaus Copernicus – author of the heliocentric theory that moved the Earth away from the centre of the universe. At the very heart of the park is a playground shaped like two constellations, the Great Bear (the Plough) and the Little Bear. The whole area was planted with trees and shrubs; more than 6,000 flowers were planned, and today ornamental grasses and roses line the paths.

What to see

• The Copernicus bench – the best spot for a souvenir photo: just sit down next to the astronomer.
• Planet spheres along the paths – of different sizes and colours, set among grasses and roses.
• The constellation playground – a good excuse to show children how to find the Plough in the night sky.
• The bank of the Ełk river, with a wooden boardwalk right next to the park.

Tripto tip

• Entry is free; the park is an open public space.
• Time: 15–30 minutes; best combined with a walk along the river and the promenade by Lake Ełk.
• Nearby: John Paul II Square with a 5-metre statue of the Pope, also by the Ełk river.
• In the evening LED lamps light the park, so you can plan a stroll after dark too.