A bronze monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw's Ł azienki Park, depicting the figure of the composer sitting under a stylized Masovian willow. One of the most recognizable landmarks of the Polish capital.
The idea of immortalizing the composer arose in Warsaw musical circles in the 2nd half of the 19th century, but in conditions of national oppression by Russia it had no chance of being realized.
The monument was sculpted by Wacł aw Szymanowski, who won a competition opened in 1908, and was to be erected in 1910, on the centenary of Chopin's birth. Since the project caused a lot of controversy and work on its implementation was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, the monument was completed in Poland between the wars. The sculpture was cast in parts in France, then these parts were transported to Warsaw and assembled in Warsaw's Ł azienki. The opening took place on November 14.1926. A plinth and an adjacent pond were built for the monument - according to the design of the architect of the Faculty of Polish Architecture of the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute, Professor Oskar Sosnowski. The stone processing was carried out by the Ł ó dź Urbanowski Plant. The monument is the only example of modernism in the monumental architecture of Warsaw.
On May 31.1940, the Chopin monument was blown up by the Germans, cut into small pieces and sent to Germany for melting. The occupation authorities also sought to destroy all copies of the sculpture in Polish museums; only one employee of the Wielkopolska Museum in Poznań managed to hide a copy of the head of the monument in the basement.
Due to the thorough destruction of the sculpture by the Germans, its restoration was very difficult. A search was conducted for copies that could serve as a model for restoration work. In 1945, workers at an oil refinery in Wrocł aw found the head of the sculpture in a scrap metal dump for melting, but it was not the original, but only one of the test castings, and much smaller. However, a complete copy of the monument was found under the ruins of the destroyed Szymanowski house in Mokotó w. Based on this copy, the monument was recreated and reopened in 1958.
As before, there is a pond next to the monument. Around the monument and the pond are benches for listeners of summer concerts of Chopin's works, held since 1959. The piano during concerts is installed at the foot of the monument, on a specially built platform.
The inscription on the pedestal reads: The statue of Fryderyk Chopin, destroyed and looted by the Germans on May 31.1940, will be restored by the Nation. 17-X-1946
Also carved are lines by Adam Mickiewicz from the poem "Konrad Wallenrod":
The flame will deal with the painted history,
The treasures of the sword will be ravaged by thieves,
The song will escape unharmed.. .
The idea of immortalizing the composer arose in Warsaw musical circles in the 2nd half of the 19th century, but in conditions of national oppression by Russia it had no chance of being realized.
The monument was sculpted by Wacł aw Szymanowski, who won a competition opened in 1908, and was to be erected in 1910, on the centenary of Chopin's birth. Since the project caused a lot of controversy and work on its implementation was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, the monument was completed in Poland between the wars. The sculpture was cast in parts in France, then these parts were transported to Warsaw and assembled in Warsaw's Ł azienki. The opening took place on November 14.1926. A plinth and an adjacent pond were built for the monument - according to the design of the architect of the Faculty of Polish Architecture of the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute, Professor Oskar Sosnowski. The stone processing was carried out by the Ł ó dź Urbanowski Plant. The monument is the only example of modernism in the monumental architecture of Warsaw.
On May 31.1940, the Chopin monument was blown up by the Germans, cut into small pieces and sent to Germany for melting. The occupation authorities also sought to destroy all copies of the sculpture in Polish museums; only one employee of the Wielkopolska Museum in Poznań managed to hide a copy of the head of the monument in the basement.
Due to the thorough destruction of the sculpture by the Germans, its restoration was very difficult. A search was conducted for copies that could serve as a model for restoration work. In 1945, workers at an oil refinery in Wrocł aw found the head of the sculpture in a scrap metal dump for melting, but it was not the original, but only one of the test castings, and much smaller. However, a complete copy of the monument was found under the ruins of the destroyed Szymanowski house in Mokotó w. Based on this copy, the monument was recreated and reopened in 1958.
As before, there is a pond next to the monument. Around the monument and the pond are benches for listeners of summer concerts of Chopin's works, held since 1959. The piano during concerts is installed at the foot of the monument, on a specially built platform.
The inscription on the pedestal reads: The statue of Fryderyk Chopin, destroyed and looted by the Germans on May 31.1940, will be restored by the Nation. 17-X-1946
Also carved are lines by Adam Mickiewicz from the poem "Konrad Wallenrod":
The flame will deal with the painted history,
The treasures of the sword will be ravaged by thieves,
The song will escape unharmed.. .
Translated automatically from Ukrainian. View original
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