The statue of Johannes Hevelius (Polish: Pomnik Jana Heweliusza) is a Baroque Revival sculpture in Gdańsk, Poland, placed at the Hevelius Square near Korzenna Street, within the Old Town neighbourhood of the Downtown district. The bronze statue is dedicated to Johannes Hevelius, a 17th-century astronomer considered the founder of selenography, and a politician who was the councillor and mayor of Gdańsk. It was designed by Jan Szczypka and unveiled on 28 January 2006.
History The statue was designed by Jan Szczypka and unveiled on 28 January 2006, during the celebrations of the 395th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Hevelius, in front of the Old Town Hall, near Korzenna Street. It was placed in the location formerly occupied by another statue of Hevelius, originally unveiled there in 1973, and moved to Wodopój Street in 2004. It was also the location of Hevelius's observatory in the 1640s. In 2009, Jan Szczypka designed a sgraffito mural depicting a star chart, which was painted on the neighbouring townhouse, making it appear as if Hevelius was looking at the night sky.
Overview The monument was designed in the Baroque Revival style. The bronze statue depicts Johannes Hevelius sitting in the chair with a book on his lap, and looking towards the sky, while using a large sextant. It is placed on a light grey granite pedestal, with the dimensions of 80 cm x 180 cm x 131 cm. It features an inscription which reads "Jan Heweliusz, meaning Johannes Hevelius in Polish. The statue is 2.3 m tall, while the total height of the monument is 3.1 m. The figure faces a wall of a tenement building, featuring a mural by Jan Szczypka, which depicts a star chart. The monument is placed at the Hevelius Square, near Korzenna Street, in front of the Old Town Hall. The surrounding pavement features three plaques with inscriptions in English, Polish, and German. They read:
English inscriptionJohannes Hevelius 1611–1687Outstanding scientistand astronomerAuthor of atlas of the skyDiscoverer of numerouscomets and constellationsBrilliant designerand inventorRenowned Gdansk brewer Polish inscriptionJan Heweliusz 1611–1687Wybitny naukowieci astronomTwórca atlasu niebaOdkrywca wielu kometi gwiazdozbiorówGenialny konstruktori wynalazcaZnany gdański browarnik German inscriptionJohannes Hevelius 1611–1687Hervorragender Gelehrteund AstronomSchopfer des HimmelsatlasseEntdecker vieler Kometenund SternbilderGenialer Konstrukteurund ErfinderBekannter Danziger Brauer
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