7 Famous Animal Monuments from Poland
Monuments often commemorate important figures and events like famous leaders or historical events. Meanwhile, others are devoted to our furry animal friends. Culture.pl takes a look at seven famous animal monuments from Poland, which memorialise animals which have made an impact on Polish culture. Enjoy!
Picture display
standardowy [760 px]
Beetle Monument in Szczebrzeszyn, photo: Arkadiusz Ziółek / East News
We start off with a monument of an animal that pretty much everybody in Poland has heard of. This sculpture commemorates the beetle described in one of Poland’s most famous children’s poems, Jan Brzechwa’s Chrząszcz (Beetle). Published in 1953, the poem begins with the following verse:
Text
In Szczebrzeszyn, in the reed a beetle buzzes,
And Szczebrzeszyn is famous for this
One ought to add that Szczebrzeszyn is not just a pile consonants thrown together but rather the actual name of a town in south-eastern Poland. The complicated Polish pronunciation of this name (zcheh-bzhay-shin) and some of the other words in Brzechwa’s quoted verse have made this rhyme one of Poland’s most popular tongue twisters. Also, the status of a characteristic linguistic feature has prompted Szczebrzeszyn to organize an annual festival of Polish language.
In 2011, Szczebrzeszyn decided to commemorate its famous fictitious inhabitant by erecting a bronze statue of Brzechwa’s beetle. The monument is two metres tall and stands in front of city hall in the market square. It was designed by the painter and sculptor Zygmunt Jarmuł and references Brzechwa’s poem quite loosely. Unlike the hero of Beetle the insect plays the fiddle and is clad in a coat and top hat. Also, the monument is said to look somewhat more like a cricket than an actual beetle. Nevertheless, the monument has become a much-cherished landmark in Szczebrzeszyn and around Poland.
Interestingly, Szczebrzeszyn actually has another, earlier monument of Brzechwa’s beetle. It’s a wooden statue quite similar to the bronze one. It was created in 2002 by students of the Zamość Arts High School, under the supervision of Zygmunt Jarmuł, and can be found on Kulkowskiego Street.
Picture display
standardowy [760 px]
Poznań Goats, photo: Gerard / Reporter / East News
Whereas the beetle will forever be associated with Szczebrzeszyn, the city of Poznań is undoubtedly linked to goats. One of the city’s most beloved symbols are the two mechanical head-butting goats that appear every day at noon above a clock on one of the towers of Poznań’s historic city hall. The mechanism dates back to the 16th century and references a popular legend.
As the story goes, long ago two goats escaped from a cook who was about to roast them for a special feast. They made their way to the roof of the tower of city hall where they started to butt their horns together, much to the amusement of the feast’s guests gathered in front of the building.
Text
The mayor, governor and all the guests found the sight of the goats so entertaining (…) that they asked the clockmaker to make a special mechanism, which would animate a pair of goats above the clock each day.
Author
From regionwielkopolska.pl, trans. MK
In 2002, Poznań decided to commemorate its favourite head-butting goats with a monument designed by sculptor Robert Sobociński. The dynamic sculpture, realistically representing two life-sized goats was located in Kolegiacki Square. In 2019, due to the renovation of this square, Sobociński’s monument was temporarily moved to the nearby Chopin Park. The sculpture is a popular place for a photo op (riding the goats is permitted) and is said to be especially beloved by kids.
An exceptionally productive cow
Picture display
standardowy [760 px]
Milk Cow Monument in Stare Pole, photo: Tytus Żmijewski / Forum
The next monument on our list is dedicated to a cow that… produced outstanding amounts of milk! The sculpture was erected in 1978 in the village of Stare Pole and commemorates a specific cow (the animal’s name is unknown, unfortunately) that belonged to a local, state-owned farm:
Text
The monument was created (…) to commemorate a particular cow of pure Dutch breed, which yearly gave 8400 litres of milk containing over 4 percent of fat. It was designed by Jan Kamiński, a student of the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk.
Author
From m.radiogdansk.pl, trans. MK
The life-sized, realistic sculpture is made of wood, which was then covered by glass fiber and given an epoxy and paint finish. It stands in the village’s central square. Kamiński’s monument is a relic of the communist-regime era when agricultural and industrial productivity were glorified. In those days, an exceptionally productive cow was, clearly, considered worthy of a monument. Fortunately, the sculpture doesn’t bare any communist symbols and today can be enjoyed – by those who don’t oppose dairy production – simply as a pleasant animal monument which has outlived its political context.
A bison with some history
Picture display
standardowy [760 px]
European Bison Monument in Spała, photo: Tomasz Stańczak / AG
Poland is proud of its żubr, or European bison. The bison is a symbol of Białowieża Forest and the Podlasie region and has been immortalised by many, but if you’d like to see a truly splendid monument to the animal, it’s worth a visit to the town of Spała in central Poland. There, near Nadpiliczna Street, stands a marvellous, life-sized statue realistically depicting a European bison. But this statue, designed by the Hungarian painter Mihály Zichy, wasn’t always located here.
The cast iron monument was originally erected in 1862 in the village of Zwierzyniec in the Białowieża Forest, which, back then, was in the Russian partition of Poland. The sculpture was created to commemorate an 1860 hunt attended by Tsar Alexander II, during which the monarch shot a number of bison. During World War I, Zichy’s cast iron bison was removed from its original spot:
Text
In August 1915, the Russians evacuated from this area and they took with them various historical memorabilia including the bison monument. (…) In 1924, thanks to a rededication of historical monuments, the sculpture returned to Poland. It was placed in the courtyard of Warsaw’s Royal Castle, and later, for a brief period, was in the collection of Warsaw’s Museum of the Earth. In 1928, Polish president Ignacy Mościcki ordered it to be moved to Spała, his summer residence. It remains there till this day.
Author
From encyklopedia.puszcza-bialowieska.eu
Now that’s a monument with some history attached to it! Interestingly, an exact copy of the bison monument was erected in 2014 in Zwierzyniec, the original home of Zichy’s sculpture.
Today, European bison are a protected species in Poland – hunting for them is permitted only when their population exceeds what is believed to be an optimal level.
At the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, a ginger cat named Umbriaga lived in one of Szczecin’s marinas.
Monument of Umbriaga the Cat in Szczecin, photo: Tygrys Szczecin / Wikimedia.org It turned out that, unlike most cats, it really liked to sail. Therefore Szczecin students would take him with them on their sailing voyages aboard the ‘White Elephant’ and ‘Tuna Fish’ yachts. Together with Umbriaga, they visited many charming places on Lake Dąbie. In the early 1950s, during a stop in the northern parts of the Dębina Island, the cat walked ashore and never came back to the yacht.
Quote from szczecin.wyborcza.pl, trans. MK
The disappearance of the much-liked Umbriaga was a sad occurrence, especially to Szczecin’s sailing community which knew him so well. To cope with the loss the cat was commemorated in a number of ways. Today, the area where he went missing gained is known as the Land of Umbriaga. There’s also a shanty about the animal entitled Kot Umbriaga (Umbriaga the Cat). In the song, the cat’s described as ‘smart, stubborn and brave’. Eventually, Umbriaga gained a near-legendary status in Szczecin and in 2018 a monument devoted to the animal was unveiled.
The bronze statue was designed by sculptor Paweł Szatkowski and measures 135 cm in height. It’s located on the picturesque Piastowski Boulevard in Szczecin, which guides the Oder river that flows into Lake Dąbie. Szatkowski’s sculpture shows Umbriaga standing upright, clad in what appears to be sailor pants, next to a seagull sitting on a coiled rope . A very pleasant monument indeed.
Picture display
standardowy [760 px]
Monument of Dżok the Dog in Kraków, photo: Grzegorz Łyko / AG
After mentioning something for cat lovers, it only seems fair to mention something for dog lovers. In Kraków, near the Czerwieński Boulevard on the Wisła river, you can find a very special monument devoted to a dog named Dżok.
In 1990, Dżok was on a walk with his owner when the man suffered a heart attack near Kraków’s Grunwaldzkie roundabout. The man was taken away by an ambulance but sadly didn’t survive... The dog that was left behind kept hoping his master would return and stayed by the roundabout for almost a year. Kraków’s citizens, moved by the animal’s display of faithfulness, built him a doghouse near the roundabout and brought him food. Over time, Dżok became attached to Mrs Maria Miller who fed him regularly. Eventually, Mrs Miller took the dog home and took care of him until her death in 1998. After losing yet another loved one, Dżok managed to evade the animal care workers that wanted to help him and ran off into the streets of Kraków. Unfortunately, a few days later, he was in an accident and died.
Dżok’s story resonated strongly with the citizens of Kraków, who decided to erect a monument in memory of the faithful dog. The modestly-sized sculpture was created in 2001 by the celebrated sculptor Bronisław Chromy and shows a dog raising its paw in a gesture of friendliness. The animal is encircled by a pair of caring hands that bring to mind the special relationship between dogs and their owners. On the statue’s plinth there’s an inscription in both Polish and English:
Text
The most faithful canine friend ever, the epitomy of a dog's boundless devotion to his master. Throughout the entire year /1990–1991/ Dżok was seen waiting in vain at the Grunwaldzkie roundabout to be fetched back by his master, who had passed away at the very site.
Picture display
standardowy [760 px]
Monument of Ćwirek the Sparrow in Łódź, photo: Michal Tulinski / Forum
Whereas Umbriaga and Dżok were real-life animals the next monument on our list is devoted to a cartoon character – Ćwirek the Sparrow. Ćwirek is the hero of an animated children’s series called Przygód Kilka Wróbla Ćwirka (A Few Adventures of Ćwirek the Sparrow), which was ran from 1983 to 1989. In this good-hearted TV show, the titular sparrow lives in the lower parts of a stork’s nest and meets different birds and animals during his adventures. The series used to be highly popular, making Ćwirek a household name in Poland.
In 2013, a monument commemorating Ćwirek was unveiled at Źródliska Park in Łódź. It includes a delightful figure of Ćwirek designed by sculptor Marcin Mielczarek. However, unlike in the cartoon, the Ćwirek in the sculpture has a little nest of his own:
Text
The sculpture showing Ćwirek the Sparrow (…) is one metre tall and is made of bronze. Ćwirek himself is 30 centimetres high and sits in a nest built in the fork of a little tree.
Author
From rmf24.pl, trans. MK
A Few Adventures of Ćwirek the Sparrow was made by the legendary Łódź-based film studio Se-Ma-For, which created a number of very popular children’s TV series. Aside from the sculpture of Ćwirek, you can find nine other monuments commemorating characters from Se-Ma-For’s various children’s productions in the city of Łódź. Among them are sculptures of the plasticine hero Plastuś from Plastusiowy Pamiętnik (Plastuś’s Diary) or the bear from the puppet show Przygody Misia Colargola (The Adventures of Colargol the Bear).
So, if you’re looking for a way to discover Poland – this animal trail makes for a fun adventure!
Written by Marek Kępa, Dec 2020
