Copernicus Monument in Frombork (1973)

Copernicus with a sprig of lily of the valley in his hand, six metres tall and distinctly unconventional: Mieczysław Welter's monument, unveiled in 1973, divided opinion from the start. Critics compared it to a block topped with a small head, while defenders saw a reference to Warmian świątki (folk sculptures) and Prussian stone women (baby pruskie), archaic stone statues.

The competition and the unveiling

The monument was made for the 500th anniversary of Copernicus's birth, and UNESCO declared 1973 International Copernicus Year. In 1971 a national competition was announced, with more than 30 sculptors taking part and nearly 80 works sent to Frombork. The first prize, on 29 June 1971, went to the Warsaw sculptor Mieczysław Welter, who is also known for the Chopin monument in Słupsk and the Maria Konopnicka monument in Września. The unveiling took place on 15 July 1973 and was one of the high points of the jubilee celebrations; it was performed by Prime Minister Piotr Jaroszewicz. A week later a smaller, four-metre replica was set up in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.

What to see

The bronze cast, 6 metres high, stands on a three-metre granite plinth made of four irregular blocks. Copernicus holds a hand over his heart, and in it a sprig of lily of the valley. The figure has a massive torso and a small head, which was the critics' main complaint; the sculptor replied that he meant it as a portrait of a well-built man, not a thin one. Around the monument lies a round plaza 22 metres across, paved with small granite cobbles. Granite semicircles and steps leading down symbolise planetary orbits. At the edge of the circle lies a boulder inscribed "Mikołajowi Kopernikowi Społeczeństwo Warmii i Mazur" (To Nicolaus Copernicus, from the people of Warmia and Masuria).

Place and context

The monument stands at the northern foot of Cathedral Hill, on the site of the baroque gardens of Canon Krzysztof Żurawski. Frombork has several monuments to the astronomer from different eras: the first monumental one, from 1909, did not survive after the Second World War, a bust of Copernicus has stood in the cathedral since 1973, and the bronze bench on the Market Square dates from 2015.

Practical information

The plaza is open to everyone and free. Seeing the monument takes 10 to 20 minutes. It is worth walking round it, because the impression of proportions changes from different sides, and the semicircular orbits can be seen in the paving.

Tripto tip

Pair this monument with the bench on the Market Square: the two sculptures of the same hero are about forty years apart and have two very different ideas behind them, which shows how the commemoration of great people in Polish towns has changed.