Monument of Sailor is a monument in

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

at the Grunwald Square at the John Paul II Avenue. It was designed by Ryszard Chachulski and completed on 19 June 1980.

Description

The monument has a form of

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

of the

helmsman A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fishing vessels and yacht ...

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

standing behind ship's wheel. It is made out of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

plate and stands on the concrete plinth veneered with gray granite plates. The height of the statue is 385 cm (12.6 ft) and total height of the monument is 495 cm (16.3 ft).

Christmas season

Every year since 2017, on 1 December, the monument is dressed up in the costume of

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

, with given the mantle, trousers, hat and beard. The event is organised by

Polsteam Polska Żegluga Morska known as Polsteam or PŻM, is a cargo ship operator based in Szczecin, Poland. Polsteam is a state-owned enterprise with around 3,000 employees. Company history Polsteam was founded in 1951, nationalizing the assets of two ...

as part of a promotional campaign of the local Christmas market that takes place on Kwiatowa Avenue, and at Żołnierza Polskiego and Lotników Squares. It takes 1.5 hours to dress up the statue. The costume was made by team of three people, including Ewelina Szubartowska, and required around 25 metres of the material, three metres of sheepskin coat and 10 metres of zipper.

Explanatory notes

Citations

General bibliography

* ''Encyklopedia Szczecina'', vol. 2,

, 2000, {{ISBN, 83-7241-089-5. 1980 establishments in Poland 1980 sculptures Buildings and structures completed in 1980 Christmas art Marine art Monuments and memorials in Szczecin Outdoor sculptures in Poland Santa Claus Sculptures of men Statues in Poland