Market Square in Frombork (Rynek)

Frombork's Market Square is laid out like a model of the Solar System: dark arcs in grey granite paving are the orbits, benches stand in for the planets, and Nicolaus Copernicus sits on the third one, Earth. The bronze figure looks towards Cathedral Hill, where the astronomer lived and worked for several decades.

The solar system in cobblestones

The square was renovated in 2015 as part of a revitalisation that also covered the historic Copernicus Canal. Arcs of darker granite are set into the grey cobbles to mark planetary orbits. Eight benches placed on these arcs play the role of the planets. Marble plaques on the orbits name cities linked to Copernicus: Toruń, Kraków, Padua, Bologna and Lidzbark Warmiński. The bench for Earth carries the plaque of Frombork, and that is where the astronomer sits.

Copernicus on a bench

The sculptor is Dawid Wawrzyniak of Inowrocław, and the figure was cast at the Brązart foundry in Pleszew. Copernicus is bareheaded, with long hair falling to his shoulders and a long robe with a wide collar. His right hand rests on the edge of the plinth, his left lies on loose sheets showing a drawing of the heliocentric system. In front of the bench a marble plaque gives his name, his years and a passage from the first book of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, which ends with the question of what could be more beautiful than the heavens. There is room next to the figure to sit.

Fountain and surroundings

In the middle of the square is a fountain whose jets spring straight from the paving and are lit after dark. A restored historic pump stands nearby. The square is lined with rows of trees and lamps built into the paving, so it looks quite different in the evening than by day, as the night photos of the statue show. The Gothic Church of St Nicholas stands right next to it.

Practical information

This is an open square in the town centre, with no tickets. The paving is flat granite. Seeing all the benches and plaques takes 15 to 30 minutes, longer if you sit by the fountain.

Tripto tip

Walk along the orbits and read the plaques with the city names: it is one of the less obvious details on the square, and it sums up Copernicus's biography neatly. From here it is a short walk to the 1973 Copernicus monument at the foot of Cathedral Hill, which shows how differently the astronomer was commemorated a little over forty years apart.