Wojciech Korfanty monument in Warsaw

About

The statue of Wojciech Korfanty (Polish: Pomnik Wojciecha Korfantego) is a bronze statue in Warsaw, Poland, within the neighbourhood of Ujazdów, within the district of Downtown. It is placed near the Royal Route, at the intersection of Ujazdów Avenue and Agrykola Street, at the entrance to the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden. The monument is dedicated to Wojciech Korfanty, a 19th- and 20th-century activist, journalist and politician, and a parliamentary member, best known as the advocate for incorporation of the Upper Silesia into Poland. The statue was designed by Karol Badyna, and unveiled on 25 October 2019.

In 2014, the Warsaw City Council have approved the constitution of the monument dedicated to Wojciech Korfanty, at the Royal Route. In 2018, Warsaw, and eleven cities in the Silesian Voivodeship signed agreement about financing it together. This included: Bytom, Chorzów, Mikołów, Piekary Śląskie, Radzionków, Ruda Śląska, Siemianowice Śląskie, Świerklaniec, Tarnowskie Góry, Wyry, and Zabrze. A contest for its design was launched on 4 June 2018, with the winning project, submitted by Karol Badyna, being called on 16 October 2018. The monument was unveiled on 25 October 2019, on the 101st anniversary of a famous speech given by Konfanty in the Reichstag. The ceremony was attended by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski.

The monument includes a bronze statue of Wojciech Korfanty, covered with a layer of patina. He is depicted wearing a formal suit, and leaning to the left on a plaque with a Polish inscription which reads: " Wojciech Korfanty; 1873–1939; polityk, chrześcijański demokrata ". It translates to " Wojciech Korfanty; 1873–1939; politician, Christian democrat ". It was not placed on a plinth, as to illustrate, according to the author, that "Konfanty was never put on a pedestal during his life". The monument is located near the Royal Route, at the intersection of Ujazdów Avenue and Agrykola Street, at the entrance to the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden.