The Nowa Huta Dolphin is a sculpture located in the Górali estate in Krakow’s Nowa Huta district. The friendly mosaic-covered dolphin will soon regain its former glory and water will once again flow from its mouth. This will happen thanks to financial support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. What else will attract attention?
The city received funding for the renovation of the sculpture as part of the Orońsko Polish Sculpture Centre’s own programme ‘Sculpture in the Public Space for the Independent 2024’. 166 institutions applied to participate in the programme, and the Nowa Huta ‘Dolphin’ was among the 25 sculptures that received support for restoration.
The renovation work will involve, among other things, rebuilding the technological installation and bringing in a closed water circuit. The circulation of the fountain will be based on four mantle nozzles located in the corners of the basin. The water flow coming out of the fountain nozzles will be directed towards the sculpture pedestal. “Dolphin” will also be illuminated after dark, thanks to the designed lighting that will be located in the granite slabs.
According to the conservation work programme, the sculpture and the basin will be cleaned with pressurised water. The dolphin’s ventral fins will undergo reconstruction, the loosened terrazzo layers will be cut and reconstructed, and any defects will be filled in using the original technology. Although the dolphin’s natural habitat is water, the sculpture will undergo water repellent treatment to increase its resistance to external agents.
The Nowa Huta Dolphin is a work by Edward Rybicki and Ryszard Wójcik. The sculpture was created at the turn of 1969 and 1970.
source: UM Kraków / https://www.krakow.pl/
photo: Urban Greenery Management in Krakow / https://zzm.krakow.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Places, Squares, Parks | Monument | Kraków | Art | History | Architecture of the Polish People’s Republic
