Mounment to Fryderyk Chopin

The idea of commemorating the great Polish composer by erecting a monument to him in the capital was first introduced by the Warsaw Music Society in 1876. Due to difficulties on the part of the partitioning authorities only a tablet could be built into the pillar of the church of St. Cross where Chopin's heart was kept. The sculptural competition for the design of the monument was publically announced in 1908. As a result, the work by the renowned painter and sculptor, Waclaw Szymamanowski was chosen. The monument he designed bears all the marks of Art Nouveau. Placing hte monument over the pond in which its reflection is even more fluid and full of movement, adds to the impressionism of the figure. Chopin sitting under the willow is inadvertedly associated with the melandcholy Polish landscape - "he listens to voices of nature", and the music is born only from this listening. In this way the artist conveyed the essence of Chopin's music, the inspiration for which was the landscape of the homeland.

The ceremony of its unveiling took place on the 14th November 1926, fifty years after the idea of building it was born, and almost a quarter of a century after initiating the efforts aiming to implement it. The monument remained in its place for near 80 years, coz after the oubreak of World War II Choping's music became illegal, and pictures and sculptures of the artist were destroyed by the Germans. Such was also the fate of the monument in the Lazienki, which was the first Wawsaw monument to be torn down. After the war the sculpture was meticulously reconstructed and erected in its former place.

Tks to Rick for sharing his photo.

Author by Elzbieta Kowalewska, Cracow,1996.