The Aleksander Fredro Monument () is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

statue located in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

dedicated to Polish

Romantic-era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

poet, playwright and author

Aleksander Fredro Aleksander Fredro (20 June 1793 – 15 July 1876) was a Polish poet, playwright and Polish authors, author active during Romanticism in Poland, Polish Romanticism in the Partitions of Poland, period of partitions by neighboring empires. His works ...

. Originally built in

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

() in 1897 according to

Leonard Marconi Leonard Marconi (Warsaw, 6 October 1835 – 1 April 1899, Lemberg) was a Polish architect and sculptor active in Warsaw and in Austrian Galicia, notably Lemberg (Lwów, now Lviv, Ukraine). Life Leonard Marconi was born on 6 October 1835 in Warsaw ...

's design, the monument was transferred to

in 1956.

History

The monument was designed by sculptor

in 1897 in

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

(Lwów),

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(present-day

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) and cast in bronze. The Neo-classical sculpture features playwright Aleksander Fredro on a

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

pedestal with inscriptions on three sides wearing a chamarre and holding a roll of paper and a goose

quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen/metal-Nib (pen), nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, event ...

. The monument was funded by the Lwów Artistic and Literary Society (''Lwowskie Koło Literacko-Artystyczne'') and ceremonially unveiled on October 24, 1897, at the Academic Square (currently Shevchenko Avenue) in Lwów in the presence of many prominent dignitaries including the Land Marshal of Galicia

Stanisław Marcin Badeni Stanisław h. Badeni (1850–1912) was a conservative Polish politician and a statesman of Austro-Hungarian Galicia. Born on 7 September 1850 in Surochów near Jarosław, in 1883 he was elected to the Galician Sejm. In 1895, he was chosen as t ...

, prince Eustachy Sanguszko,

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Izaak Mikołaj Isakowicz, and mayor of Lwów

Godzimir Małachowski Godzimir Małachowski of Nałęcz (1852–1908) was a Polish lawyer, university professor and President of Lviv. An heir of the powerful Małachowski family, he was also a member of the Austro-Hungarian parliament, the Galicia Diet and one of t ...

. The monument occupied that location until 1950. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the city was incorporated into the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and in 1945 in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, the Polish delegation signed an additional protocol to the 1944 agreement between the

Polish Committee of National Liberation The Polish Committee of National Liberation ( Polish: ''Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego'', ''PKWN''), also known as the Lublin Committee, was an executive governing authority established by the Soviet-backed communists in Poland at the la ...

and the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

, which allowed to hand over to the Polish government the national monuments in Lviv connected to

Polish culture The culture of Poland () is the product of its Geography of Poland, geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to History of Poland, an intricate thousand-year history. Poland has a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic ma ...

and

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

with the exception of the Adam Mickiewicz Monument which "enjoys great popularity and is loved by the Ukrainian nation".

Transfer to Poland

The monument was transferred to Poland in March 1950. It was initially displayed in

Wilanów Wilanów () is a dzielnica, district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It is home to historic Wilanów Palace, the "Polish Palace of Versailles, Versailles," and second home to various List of Polish rulers, Polish kings. Wilanów is home to many v ...

where it remained until 1956. The city of Wrocław was chosen to host it as that after the war a great number of Poles from Lviv were repatriated there. Besides this, Aleksander Fredro visited Wrocław in the past as a young military officer fighting alongside

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. It was unveiled on July 15, 1956, at the Wrocław Market Square in the place previously occupied by the Monument to

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aleksander Fredro Monument in Wroclaw 1897 sculptures Buildings and structures in Wrocław Outdoor sculptures in Wrocław Sculptures in Poland Buildings and structures in Lviv Outdoor sculptures in Poland

History

Transfer to Poland

See also

References