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Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Warsaw

Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Warsaw honors the great Polish poet, political writer, and national liberation activist. Designed by sculptor Cyprian Godebski with architects J. Dziekoński and W. Marconi, the 4.2-meter bronze figure was cast in Italy and placed on an Italian granite pedestal. It was unveiled on Krakowskie Przedmieście on 24 December 1898, on the poet’s centenary, with support initiated by Henryk Sienkiewicz. The monument was dismantled by the German occupation authorities in 1942 and taken to the Reich. After the war, parts were found in Hamburg, a copy of the figure was recast by Jan Szczepkowski, and the restored monument was unveiled again on 28 January 1950.

Adam Mickiewicz Monument: a bronze statue of a man in a cloak standing on a tall stone pedestal, with a floral wreath at the base.
The Adam Mickiewicz Monument rises above the trees under a clear blue sky.
© · CC BY 2.5
Adam Mickiewicz Monument with a bronze cloaked statue on a stone pedestal in Warsaw, framed by tree leaves and rose bushes.
The Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Warsaw, seen with its bronze figure, stone pedestal, and surrounding greenery.
September 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adam Mickiewicz Monument showing a bronze cloaked figure on an ornate stone pedestal, with bare trees and wrought-iron fencing nearby.
The Adam Mickiewicz Monument rises above a decorative fence, framed by bare trees and lampposts.
© · CC0
Adam Mickiewicz Monument on a tall pedestal in a landscaped urban garden, surrounded by steps, paths, and trees with buildings behind it.
The Adam Mickiewicz Monument stands in a landscaped public garden in the city.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Faded architectural drawing of the Adam Mickiewicz Monument showing an ornate pedestal, steps, balustrades, and decorative reliefs.
Architectural drawing of the Adam Mickiewicz Monument with an ornate base and central pedestal.
· Public domain

Identification

TitleAdam Mickiewicz Monument
Original titlePomnik Adama Mickiewicza w Warszawie
TypeMonument
StyleNeo-classical
SubjectAdam Mickiewicz

Iconography and meaning

Subject descriptionA Polish poet, political publicist, and activist of the national liberation movement

Historical context

Constructed1897–1898
Unveiled24 December 1898
Unveiling occasionThe centenary of Adam Mickiewicz's birth
InitiatorHenryk Sienkiewicz
PatronsMichał Radziwiłł and Henryk Sienkiewicz

Discovery and provenance

FundingDonations totaling 235,734 rubles had been collected by July 1897
ApprovalApproved by the tsarist authorities

Creator

SculptorCyprian Godebski
ArchitectsJózef Pius Dziekoński and Władysław Marconi

Materials

Figure materialBronze
Pedestal materialItalian granite
Base and column materialGranite from the Baveno quarries in Piedmont
Stair materialDark grey granite from Gniewanie in Podolia

Technique

Casting workshopLippi workshop in Pistoia, Italy

Physical characteristics

Height4.2 m

Appearance

Inscription"Adamowi Mickiewiczowi - Rodacy 1898"
Pedestal decorationA cartouche with the poet's birth and death dates; lower allegorical decoration in the form of Apollo's head with thin radiating rays; palm branches, a lyre, and rolled papers above it
Depicted poseAdam Mickiewicz stands in a relaxed pose with his head slightly raised, left hand supporting a cloak over his shoulder, and right hand on his heart

Location and ownership

Current square nameHoover Square
Original siteKonstantynowski Square, later renamed Adam Mickiewicz Square
Site historyBuilt on a square created after demolishing buildings in the former jurydyka of Dziekanka; several buildings on the site were demolished in 1865
LocationKrakowskie Przedmieście, Śródmieście district, Warsaw, Poland

History and restoration

Reopened28 January 1950
Related historical eventA student demonstration against the cancellation of Adam Mickiewicz's Dziady at the Warsaw National Theatre took place in front of the monument on 30 January 1968 and was suppressed by the militia
Crowd behavior at unveilingThe crowd laid flowers at the monument
Unveiling musicA piece by Stanisław Moniuszko was performed before the unveiling, and another after the consecration
Unveiling restrictionsRussian authorities limited the ceremony to consecration only, banned speeches and marches, restricted attendance to invited ticket-holders, and censored references to the event
Later restorationThe metal fence was returned to Poland in the 1980s; the torches or censers were restored in 1986
Reopened byBolesław Bierut
Reconstruction byJan Szczepkowski in cooperation with Józef Trenarowski
Reconstruction detailsThe pedestal and fence were restored or recreated; four torches or censers at the corners of the balustrade were not restored until 1986
Reconstruction basisSurviving remains and prewar documentation
Reconstructed1950
Recovered remainsAfter the war, the head and a fragment of the torso were found in Hamburg by representatives of the Polish military mission
Destruction contextTaken to Germany after demolition during the Second World War
Destroyed byGerman occupiers
Demolished1942

Other

First-monument noteA separate monument to Adam Mickiewicz in Warsaw by Stanisław Horno-Popławski was unveiled in 1955 at the main entrance to the Palace of Culture and Science