’Crossing the River’ (Rope Walker) in Bydgoszcz

Over the Brda river, between Mostowa Street and the Jerzy Sulima-Kamiński Bridge, a figure with a balancing pole hovers above the water. This is “Crossing the River”, popularly known as the Rope Walker — a sculpture that has become a symbol of Bydgoszcz and one of the city’s most recognisable objects.

A sculpture that does not fall

The work by the Częstochowa-born sculptor Jerzy Kędziora was unveiled on 1 May 2004, the day Poland joined the European Union. The figure weighs only about 50 kg and stands on a rope stretched across the river. The whole balance relies on a simple trick: the figure’s centre of gravity has been shifted below the level of the rope, so the sculpture stays upright despite the apparent fragility of the construction.

An arrow from the Archeress and a swallow companion

The walker holds a pole in one hand and an arrow in the other, with Roman sandals slung over his shoulder. This is a deliberate play on another Bydgoszcz monument — the Archeress: the rope walker is her admirer, carrying to the other bank the arrow released by the bronze beauty. The figure is also accompanied by a swallow — a nod to the surname of Andrzej Szwalbe, founder of the Pomeranian Philharmonic and an honorary citizen of the city.

In practice

The sculpture hangs over the river in the centre, near Mostowa and Spichlerna streets, and can be admired around the clock, free of charge. In 2025 Bydgoszcz’s family of balancing figures grew by the Rower “At the Finish” on the Młynówka and the Willow Weaver on Jatki — it is worth combining them into one walking loop around the Brda.