The neo-classical monument to Adam Mickiewicz is located on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw. It is one of the most recognisable works of public art in Poland, which not only commemorates the great artist, but is also part of the city’s history and national identity. The monument was designed by the Polish sculptor Cyprian Godebski and unveiled on 24 December 1898, the centenary of the poet’s birth. Its realisation was the result of a wide-ranging public initiative, initiated by the Adam Mickiewicz Social Building Committee. The committee included, among others, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Leopold Kronenberg, Wojciech Gerson and Ludwik Szwede.
The monument was erected on a square created after the demolition of buildings on the site of the former jurydyka Dziekanka, where a fountain had previously been located, later moved to Plac Bankowy. The entire composition, including the surroundings, was the work of the architects Jozef Pius Dziekoński and Władysław Marconi.
The statue after the casting. Source: Digital National Library Polona
The statue depicts Adam Mickiewicz in a standing position, with his right hand over his heart and his coat slung over his left shoulder. The statue itself is 4.5 metres high and was cast in Italy, while the entire monument, including the granite pedestal, measures about 10 metres. The granite pedestal and column were made of stone from Baveno in Piedmont. Decorative elements stand out in the composition of the monument, such as the head of Apollo, palm branches with lyre and papyrus scrolls at the bottom of the column. The plaque bears the inscription: “To Adam Mickiewicz – Compatriots 1898”.
The ornamental fence of the monument, designed by Zenon Chrzanowski, consists of wrought iron bars with floral motifs, which were made by the Warsaw firm of S. Zieleziński. Eight two-armed lanterns were placed in the corners of the fence. The unveiling of the monument took place in an atmosphere of political and social tension. The Russian authorities, fearing patriotic demonstrations, kept the ceremony to a minimum. Only invited guests with admission tickets attended. About 12,000 people attended the ceremony, including the poet’s daughter, Maria Górecka. The ceremony was followed by a banquet at the Resursa Kupiecka, where Henryk Sienkiewicz presented Godebski with a commemorative medal.
The monument in 1937 and today. Photo: Digital National Library Polon and Witia, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons
In 1944, after the fall of the Warsaw Uprising, the Germans dismantled the monument and deported it to the Reich. After the war, fragments, including the head and a fragment of the torso, were found in Hamburg and revindicated to Poland. A copy of the statue was made by Jan Szczepkowski with the cooperation of Jozef Trenarowski, which was cast by the Lopienski Brothers company. The plinth and fence were also restored. The monument was unveiled again on 28 January 1950 with the participation of Bolesław Bierut at the end of the Mickiewicz Jubilee Year. The Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Warsaw has become the site of many important historical events, e.g. on 30 January 1968 a student demonstration took place against the removal of the play Dziady directed by Kazimierz Dejmek from the billboard of the National Theatre.
The Adam Mickiewicz Monument on Krakowskie Przedmieście Street remains an important symbol of Polish culture and a place of national remembrance that invariably attracts the attention of Varsovians and tourists.
Source: historia.pl, histmag.org
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