The Copernicus Monument
The Copernicus Monument is a bronze statue of Copernicus holding a compass and an armillary sphere. This statue was designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1822 and erected in 1828-30. The monument was funded by public donations and scientist and philosopher Stanisław Staszic. The statue was supposed to be erected in Torun, Copernicus' home town but instead got erected in Warsaw.
During World War II, the Nazi's placed a plaque on the monument claiming that Copernicus was a German. A boy scout, called Aleksy Dawidowski, bravely removed the plaque away in 1942. This made the Nazi's very angry and they removed the statue and hid it in Silesia. They also dynamited a few surrounding monuments.
Aleksy Dawidowski
They planned to melt the monument down but had to retreat before they had a chance to. The monument was brought back to Warsaw on the 22 July 1945. It then got renovated and unveiled again on 22 July 1949.
Due to his bravery, Aleksy Dawidowski made it into Polish Folklore as a great hero. The bronze plaque is held in the Warsaw History Museum.
Warsaw History Museum
In 2007, a model of the Heliocentric Solar System was put up in front of the monument. The model was based on a picture from Copernicus' book, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium . The statue was vandalized in July 2008. The stolen parts were soon recovered.
A model of Copernicus' Heliocentric System
There are replicas of the Copernicus Monument in Montreal and Chicago.
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