The bust of Nicolaus Copernicus, the oldest monument in Olsztyn, returned to the socle in Podzamcze Park. The astronomer’s bust was thrown from the pedestal by vandals in June, the monument was undergoing renovation for several weeks, informed the Olsztyn City Hall.
During the renovation, the bust of Copernicus was cleaned, the corroded handles and fastenings to the socle were removed and new ones were installed.
“According to the law, the consent for the return of the bust of Nicolaus Copernicus to its place had to be issued by the Provincial Conservator of Monuments. These formalities were fulfilled,” reported the Olsztyn City Hall.
The bust of Nicolaus Copernicus from the Podzamcze Park near the Cassablanca restaurant was made before World War II when Olsztyn – then called Allenstein – was a city in East Prussia. The town councilors were the initiators of the setting of this monument. It was made in Berlin in the workshop of the sculptor Johannes Götz.
Originally, the bronze bust of the astronomer was placed on a pedestal under an architectural canopy, supported on pillars, and was located in front of the castle’s causeway. It stood there until 1946. Currently, the monument stands in Podzamcze Park, and on the renovated socle there is an inscription in Polish: “Defenders of the Olsztyn stronghold against the Teutonic invaders. To the great Pole, Nicolaus Copernicus, the grateful Poles”.