Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Warsaw

The Nicolaus Copernicus Monument on Warsaw's Krakowskie Przedmiescie was cast in bronze by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1822 and unveiled by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz on 11 May 1830 in front of the Staszic Palace; the project was initiated by the Polish natural philosopher Stanislaw Staszic. Copernicus sits holding a compass and armillary sphere, his gaze turned skyward, alluding to his 1543 De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. During the German occupation in 1944 the Nazis tried to destroy the monument, replacing the inscription Nicolao Copernico Grata Patria with a plaque claiming him as German; the Polish resistance reinstalled the original the same night. The monument was recovered from Lower Silesia after 1945 and re-erected in 1949. It is today a central meeting point on the parade route between the Old Town and the university.