Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Toruń

Since 1853 a bronze Copernicus has stood in the south-eastern corner of Toruń's Old Town Market Square, one finger raised to the sky. The city calls it the most popular meeting point in Toruń and the most photographed sight in town. It pays to step closer than most visitors do: up close you will spot a detail missing from most portraits of the astronomer.

History: half a century of waiting

The idea of honouring Copernicus in the town where he spent the first 18 years of his life kept resurfacing from the 18th century onwards. In 1765 Prince Józef Aleksander Jabłonowski commissioned a marble bust, but the town council rejected it and the sculpture ended up in St John's Church. In 1809, during the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw, a foundation stone was laid on the initiative of Stanisław Staszic. Once Toruń returned to Prussia the fundraising stopped, and money collected elsewhere went to the Copernicus monument in Warsaw instead.

The project was finally completed by a monument society founded in 1839. The commission went to the Berlin sculptor Christian Friedrich Tieck, who delivered the model in 1849; it was cast in Berlin by the founder Heinrich Fischer. Tieck died in 1851 without seeing the result. The statue arrived in Toruń in February 1852, waited for its pedestal inside the Church of the Holy Spirit, and was unveiled on 25 October 1853.

What to look for

• The moustache – the young astronomer's face has a faint moustache that only shows up close. Most other monuments and portraits of Copernicus lack it.
• The armillary sphere in his left hand, a model of the heavens, and his academic gown.
• The Latin inscription on the pedestal: "Nicolaus Copernicus Thorunensis terrae motor solis caelique stator" – the man from Toruń who moved the Earth and stopped the Sun and the heavens.
• Stone benches and a small well by the pedestal. During the 2003 restoration, for the monument's 150th anniversary, the well with its bronze dolphin's mouth was brought back.

Good to know

The monument is part of everyday city life. On the anniversary of Copernicus's birth, the authorities of Nicolaus Copernicus University pay tribute to their patron here, and every year the mayor meets pupils from the best school classes at the astronomer's feet. During the student festival the statue gets dressed up in all sorts of costumes, and in December Copernicus wears the red cap of his namesake, St Nicholas, next to a tall Christmas tree.

Tripto tip

The monument stands in a public square, so you can see it free of charge at any time. 10–15 minutes is enough for photos and the details. To avoid the crowd around the pedestal, come early in the morning or in the evening when the square empties. It makes a handy starting point for a Copernicus walk: the Old Town Hall is right next to it, and St John's Cathedral and the Nicolaus Copernicus House are a few minutes away.