The Maria Skłodowska-Curie Monument (Polish: Pomnik Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie) is a bronze statue in Warsaw, Poland, located in the Skłodowska-Curie Park at the intersection Wawelska and Skłodowskiej-Curie Streets, and near the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, within the district of Ochota. It is dedicated to Maria Skłodowska-Curie, a 19th- and 20th-century physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. The statue was designed by Ludwika Nitschowa, and unveiled on 5 September 1935.
 The monument in 2010. | |
 | |
| 52°12′56.84″N 20°59′04.78″E / 52.2157889°N 20.9846611°E | |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
|---|---|
| Designer | Ludwika Nitschowa |
| Type | Statue |
| Material | Bronze |
| Height | 3 m |
| Opening date | 5 September 1935 |
| Dedicated to | Maria Skłodowska-Curie |
History
editThe monument was dedicated to Maria Skłodowska-Curie, a 19th- and 20th-century physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. The statue was commissioned by Stefan Starzyński, the mayor of Warsaw, and designed by sculptor Ludwika Nitschowa.[1][2] It was cast in Bracia Łopieńscy alloy works. The statue was unveiled on 5 September 1935, near Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology.[1][3] It was placed near a tree that was planeted by Skłodowska-Curie in 1932.[4]
The monument was demaged during the Warsaw Uprising in the Second World War, when it was used by soldiers of the Russian People's Liberation Army, a Russian collaborationist formation of the Protection Squadron, as a practice target.[1][3] It was renovated in 1997, however the bullet holes were left in, as a reminder of the conflict.[1]
Characteristics
editThe monument is placed in the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Park, near the intersection of Wawelska and Skłodowskiej-Curie Streets, which is next to the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology.[1][3] It is placed near a tree that was planeted by Skłodowska-Curie in 1932.[4]
It consists of a bronze statue of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, placed on a pedestal. She is depicted in reflecting pose, while walking, with her head pointed down, and her chin resing on a palm of her hand. The monument has the total height of around 3 m. It features the inscription as transcribed below.
| Polish inscription | English translation |
|---|---|
MARJI |
To Maria Skłodowska-Curie, the capital, 1935 |
See also
edit- Maria Skłodowska-Curie Monument (Downtown, Warsaw), another monument in Warsaw, dedicated to Skłodowska-Curie
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Irena Grzesiuk-Olszewska: Warszawska rzeźba pomnikowa. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Neriton, 2003, p. 93. ISBN 83-88973-59-2. (in Polish)
- ^ Wiesław Głębocki: Szlakiem Stefana Starzyńskiego. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo PTTK Kraj, 1984, p. 46. ISBN 9788300006328. (in Polish)
- ^ a b c Wiesław Głębocki: Warszawskie pomniki. Wydawnictwo PTTK Kraj, 1990, p. 80–81. ISBN 8302041300. (in Polish)
- ^ a b "Drzewo posadzone przez noblistkę". um.warszawa.pl (in Polish). 28 May 2015.