Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro. Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure

Joanna Majczyk

doi:10.37190/arc210305

Abstract

The Monument to Aleksander Fredro was brought to Wrocław in 1956 and placed in the Wrocław Market Square to become a favourite meeting place of the city inhabitants after some years. The final location decision was preceded by a discussion, reported in detail in the press. Initially, it was thought that the small and rather cosy monument form precluded its placement in the large, open space of a central city square. After all, Leonardo Marconi’s work was designed for the small Lviv Academic Square, located in the vicinity of the Fredro family’s residence gardens. However, the writer’s sculpture took a special meaning in post-war Wrocław. Firstly it was perceived as a symbol of Polishness, a metaphorical link between the Recovered Territories and the lost Eastern Borderlands, and secondly, it was the first “Polish” monument to be unveiled in the centre of former Breslau. This is why the monument was finally placed in the city’s most important square, in place of the equestrian monument to Friedrich Wilhelm III, demolished after Word War II, thus symbolically “sacralising” the Wrocław market square. This paper aims to present a discussion, now forgotten, on the location of the Fredro monument, to which not only decision-makers but also citizens of the city were invited. The paper presents previously unpublished concepts for the location of the monument in various, nowadays not obvious, spots in Wrocław.

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2021

3(67)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210305

Joanna Majczyk*

Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro.

Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure

Introduction

Today, the monument to Aleksander Fredro, erected in

1956 in Wrocław’s Market Square, counts among the city’s

most prominent landmarks. The seated comedy writer’s

silhouette, displayed on a low plinth, seems to be blend

symbiotically in its current location. The sculpture, how 

ever, was not designed for the central square of Wro cław,

but for the small Academic Square (currently прос пект

Тараса Шевченка) in Lviv, from where after Word War II

it was transported to Warsaw as part of a “repatriation”

action of a kind. The backstage of the systemic recovery

of works of art from Lviv was described by Maciej Mat

wijów in his book entitled Walka o lwowskie dobra kultu-

ry 1945–1948 [The Struggle for Lviv’s Cultural Assets

1945–1948]. According to the documents collected by

him, the monument to Aleksander Fredro was brought to

Poland in 1950 together with the Lviv sculptures of Jan III

Sobieski and Kornel Ujejski [1, p. 158]. Bogdan Za

krzew ski, in his work entitled Śląskie przygody Aleksandra

Fre dry [Aleksander Fredro’s Silesian Adventures] [2],

presented the story of the creation of the Fredro monu

ment, whereas Piotr Marek Stański wrote about the cere

mony of its unveiling in Lviv in his article entitled

Pomniki Aleksandra Fredry we Lwowie i Krakowie [Alek

san der Fredro’s Monuments in Lviv and Kraków] [3].

Encyclopaedic entries on the Fredro monument can also

be found in Zygmunt Antkowiak’s works [4], [5] and in

the Leksykon zieleni Wrocławia [Lexicon of Wrocław’s

green ery] [6]. This article thus supplements the existing

litera ture with hitherto neglected information, demon

strating not only the municipal authorities’ farreaching

indecision regarding the location of the Fredro Monument

but also an attempt to involve the city’s residents in the

decisionmaking process. The paper was written based on

an analysis of archival source materials.

The Monument to Aleksander Fredro. Lviv

The monument to Aleksander Fredro was sculptured

based on a model designed in 1894 by Leonardo Marconi.

As reported by the press at the time: […] the model depicts

the father of Polish comedy in a sitting position, on a chair

with the drapery of his coat hanging owing down from the

poet’s shoulders. A modest Kraków coat, shirt collar

broadly laid out, and a tie tied in the old fashion make up

the details of the attire of this nobleman, who holds a pen

in his right hand as a sign of authorial activity. Both in

modelling his face, characterised by a truly inspired ex-

pression and in recreating individual accessories, Marconi

used photographs […] and Fredro’s death mask […] [7]

(Fig. 1). Marconi’s project was selected in a competition

held in 1892 on the initiative of the Lviv Art and Literary

Circle, upon the request of Professor Romuald Bobin. As

Stański mentioned, the rules of the competition envisioned

commemorating the Honorary Citizen of Lviv with a mon

ument characterised by […] Renaissance style, where the

gure of the writer was to be captured in a sitting position,

dressed in a Kraków coat [3, p. 38]. The monument was

cast in bronze in the Krupp factory in Vienna, and the

pedestal was made of red sandstone by “Góra, the stone

mason” [8, pp. 2, 3]. The Lviv authorities contributed 

nancially to the construction of the monument and also

specied its intended location: the Academic Square, just

next to the fence of the garden surrounding the Fredro’s

little palace. In the last decade of the 19

century, the

square was irregular in shape, and its centre was occupied

* ORCID: 0000000276603161. Faculty of Architecture, Wro 

cław University of Science and Technology, email: joanna.majczyk@

pwr.edu.pl

46 Joanna Majczyk

were demolished, paving the way for the re gulation of its

boundaries. In the 1920s, regulatory works took place and

the square was given a trapezoidal shape, dividing it into

two functional zones; the southwestern one, which was

a kind of intimate “interior” for the Fredro monument; and

the northeastern one being a trac node (Fig. 3a). The

monument was then surrounded by a trapezoidal lawn and

enclosed by a row of low trees (Fig. 3b). Despite the cor

rection of the square boundaries, the monument failed to

blend with its architectural settings. The northern and east

ern frontages were clearly higher than the remaining ones,

and in the southern building row, there was a gap left. It

seems, that the regular greenery arrangement was thus in

tended to hide the “imperfections” of the composition of

the square’s surroundings.

In 1944, once the city got occupied by the Soviet army,

the monument was disassembled and then, a few years

later, brought to Poland. Negotiations on the transfer of

the sculpture to Wrocław took almost three years; in Ja

nuary 1956 the press reported: […] the Ministry of Cul

ture and Art actually decided on the matter, giving Wro

cław priority to place the monument to this outstanding

Po lish comedy writer in that city. Unfortunately, two

years have passed since that decision and the monument

is still not there. Apparently, the Presidium of the City Na

tional Council cannot decide on where to place the mon-

ument. However, the Poznań authorities found the choice

easy and, as we have learned, city representatives are

already negotiating with the Ministry of Culture and Art

to have the monument to Fredro placed in Poznań [9].

Olgierd Czerner, who at that time was Wrocław’s monu

ments restorer, played an important role in the negotia

tions. Upon the order of the Presidium of the Municipal

National Council, he negotiated with ocials of the

Ministry of Culture and Art [10, p. 209], and briey sum

marised the mission entrusted to him as follows: Go [to

Warsaw] and do not return without a monument [11]. The

monument nally arrived in Wrocław in April 1956

The Monument to Aleksander Fredro. Wrocław

When the Fredro statue was delivered to Wrocław, it

was placed without its plinth on wooden pallets in the

southern part of the Market Square, almost exactly in

place of the destroyed equestrian statue of the Prussian

king Friedrich Wilhelm III. As Olgierd Czerner recalled,

the mere unloading of the monument caused some serious

trouble to the transport organisers, as no crane in the

whole city could remove the sculpture from the truck [10,

p. 209]. Despite the great enthusiasm that bringing the

Lviv monument aroused among the Wrocław citizens, the

monument kept incurring damages at regular intervals so

as it even became necessary to cover it with a wooden cube

[12]. At the same time, the nal location of the monu ment

stirred heated discussion. One of the local dailies reported

The statue of Jan III Sobieski was given to Gdańsk and the statue

of Kornel Ujejski to Szczecin. The monuments were widely perceived

as symbols of “Polishness”, so they were eventually given back to the

largest cities of the socalled Recovered Territories.

by a water intake with a round pool, which was demol

ished to make room for the monument (Fig. 2a). The small

size of the Academic Square did not allow for the place

ment of additional small architecture elements, and it was

precisely at the location of the water intake that the view

axes of Aleksander Fredro Street (now вулиця Олек

сандра Фредра) and Władysław Łoziński Street (now

вулиця Олександра Герцена), which approached the

square from the northeast and east, converged. The monu

ment was unveiled in 1897, and the Lviv authorities under

took to surround it with a lawn and to regulate the square

(Fig. 2b). Just before the end of the 19

century the river

Pełtew, owing along the square’s eastern border, was ca 

nalised, and in its place, a street was laid out as a continu

ation of Academic Street, approaching the square from the

north. A green belt was designed on the axis of Aca

demic

Street. Before the outbreak of the World War I, the Fredro

Palace and its garden were sold, the land was parcelled out,

and the buildings on the southern side of Aca demic Square

Fig. 1. Monument to Aleksander Fredro by Leonardo Marconi

(photo by “Maria” Photographic Company, Lviv, ca. 1900,

source: National Library, ref. F.25056/G,

https://polona.pl/item/lwowpomnikaleksandrafredry,

Njg2MTYwMDc/0/#info:metadata)

Il. 1. Pomnik Aleksandra Fredry dłuta Leonarda Marconiego

(fot. Zakład Fotograficzny „Maria”, Lwów, ok. 1900,

źródło: Biblioteka Narodowa, sygn. F.25056/G,

https://polona.pl/item/lwowpomnikaleksandrafredry,

Njg2MTYwMDc/0/#info:metadata)

Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro. Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure 47

Fig. 2. Lviv, Academic Square:

a) fragment of the city plan, 1894 (Plan der königlichen Hauptstadt Lemberg, J. Kostkiewicz Lithography and Printing House in Lviv,

source: http://igrek.amzp.pl/11778976),

b) monument to Aleksander Fredro, view from the east, postcard, Lederer & Popper, 1904 (source: Biblioteka Narodowa,

sygn. Poczt.2017, https://polona.pl/item/lwowpomnikhrfredrylemberggraffredromonument,NTkwNTI0OQ/0/#info:metadata)

Il. 2. Lwów, plac Akademicki:

a) fragment planu miasta, 1894 (Plan der königlichen Hauptstadt Lemberg, Litografia i Drukarnia J. Kostkiewicza we Lwowie,

źródło: http://igrek.amzp.pl/11778976),

b) pomnik Aleksandra Fredry, widok od strony wschodniej, pocztówka, wyd. Lederer & Popper, 1904 (źródło: Biblioteka Narodowa,

sygn. Poczt.2017, https://polona.pl/item/lwowpomnikhrfredrylemberggraffredromonument,NTkwNTI0OQ/0/#info:metadata)

Fig. 3. Lviv, Academic Square:

a) fragment of a city plan, 1917 (contour map of the capital city of Lviv,

made at the Surveying and Regulating Division of the city’s Technical Department, source: http://igrek.amzp.pl/11769543),

b) monument to Aleksander Fredro, view from the east, postcard, the 1920s–1930s (source: National Library,

ref. DŻS XII 8b/p.70/1, Poczt.24, https://polona.pl/item/lwowplacakademickileopollaplacedakademie,ODIzNzk4NDg/0/#info:metadata)

Il. 3. Lwów, plac Akademicki:

a) fragment planu miasta, 1917 (mapa warstwicowa królewskiego stołecznego miasta Lwowa,

wykonano w Oddziale pomiaroworegulacyjnym miejskiego Departamentu technicznego, źródło: http://igrek.amzp.pl/11769543),

b) pomnik Aleksandra Fredry, widok od strony wschodniej, pocztówka, przełom lat 20. i 30. XX w. (źródło: Biblioteka Narodowa,

sygn. DŻS XII 8b/p.70/1, Poczt.24, https://polona.pl/item/lwowplacakademickileopollaplacedakademie,ODIzNzk4NDg/0/#info:metadata)

48 Joanna Majczyk

that during the rst weeks of Fredro’s “stay” in Wro cław,

the editorial oce had received many sugges

tions from

readers on where to place the statue [14], so it was decid

ed to organise a competition among the citizens of Wro

cław to nd a solution to this dicult issue. The inhabit

ants of the city reacted vividly to the journalists’ initiative

and proposed placing the statue:

– “in the Market Square, in the place of the pigeon

drinker”

; whereas opponents to this idea argued: but not

there! There would be a PolishCzech friendship tree next

to it, which is also a kind of monument. Moreover, the tree

is amid a oral carpet, so the monument to Mr. Aleksander

The exact location is not entirely clear as the drinker was mova

ble, it was placed in the western part of the square or in the vicinity of

the PolishCzechoslovak friendship tree, in the place of the demolished

equestrian statue of Friedrich Wilhelm III.

would also deserve such a carpet. And two carpets next to

each other, well, this would probably be too much [15]

(Fig. 4, p. 1),

– “near the State Department Store” (today Renoma

Department Store), with a dissenting vote stating: there

used to be a monument there, but a colossal one!

It had

a powerful architectural form that made it independent of

its surroundings. Meanwhile, a small Fredro’s status near

the Wertheim’s PDT colossus would be overwhelmed by

the enormity of this modern edice [15] (Fig. 4, p. 2),

– “in the commons the Słowacki Street” (a square in

Słowacki Av. opposite to Krasińskiego), opposing view:

[…] a monument cannot be placed on a park road. Only

a oral carpet could provide a due base for the monu-

The monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I, demolished in 1945.

Fig. 4. Wrocław, location proposals for the monument to Aleksander Fredro in the city structure:

1) Market Square, 2) at the intersection of Podwale and Świdnicka (formerly Aleksander Fredro Street),

3) Juliusz Słowacki Park, 4) square near the Wrocław Opera House, 5) on the square near to the Ossolineum Library,

6) Solny Square, 7) Teatralny Square, 8) Staromiejska Promenade.

Basic map: destruction of the centre of Wrocław in 1945

(according to materials of Wrocław Reconstruction Directorate, edited by B. Czerner [13, p. 62])

Il. 4. Wrocław, propozycje lokalizacji pomnika Aleksandra Fredry w strukturze miasta:

1) Rynek, 2) u zbiegu ulic Podwale i Świdnickiej (d. Aleksandra Fredry), 3) park Juliusza Słowackiego,

4) skwer przy Operze Wrocławskiej, 5) w sąsiedztwie Biblioteki Ossolineum, 6) plac Solny, 7) plac Teatralny, 8) promenada Staromiejska.

Mapa podkładowa: plan zniszczeń centrum Wrocławia w 1945 r.

(według materiałów Wrocławskiej Dyrekcji Odbudowy, oprac. B. Czerner [13, s. 62])

buildings with minor damages

partly preserved buildings

destroyed buildings

Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro. Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure 49

tion Management Board headed by Leszek Dąb row ski.

The rst of them envisaged placing the monument in the

southern part of the Market Square “with its back to the

cloth hall and its side to the town hall” (Fig. 6a). This

choice was supported by tourist reasons, it was also con

sidered that the cloth hall edice “is a peaceful back

ground for the monument” [16]. However, the dierences

in style between the Gothic town hall, the buildings on the

southern frontage of the Market Square, and the monu

ment itself were perceived as problematic.

Another proposal for the location of the monument was

the square located on the western side of the Osso li neum

(Fig. 6b) – the small size of the square matched well with

the size of the sculpture, and some “thematic” link between

the monument and the Ossolineum Library

was also

noted. Lack of development on the southern and northern

sides of the square was perceived as a drawback. It was

planned to cover the rear elevation of the former University

Museum by a line of trees as a background for the monu

ment, but the southern frontage of the square awaited re

construction, having been destroyed during the war.

Consideration was also given to placing a monument

in the vicinity, in the square in front of the University’s

main building (Fig. 6c). The drawbacks of this location

included the very poor condition of the buildings enclos

ing the square from the south and east, and, as with the

The National Ossoliński Institute was established in 1817 as a foun 

dation

of Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński. Until the end of World War II

it was seated in Lviv.

ment’s plinth. But the park environment in this place is

poor. In winter, architectural elements would appear from

behind leaess trees, providing unsuitable perspective

[15] (Fig. 4, p. 3),

– near the Opera (Fig. 4, p. 4),

– on the square near to the Ossolineum Library (Fig. 4,

p. 5),

– on the Solny Square, because “the perspective of the

square matches well with this kind of monument”

[15]

(Fig. 4, p. 6),

– On the Powstańców Śląskich Square “surrounded by

greenery and beautiful reconstructed buildings” [15],

– on “the square in front of the club of the Polish

Soviet Friendship Society” (today the seat of Teatr Lalek,

the Puppet Theatre) – a proposal made by Jerzy Winklendt

and Bogusław Łacioka, architects, who justied their

choice by the favourable opening of the view towards the

monument, the similar style of the club building and the

monument, as well as the intimate character of the monu

ment and the square (Fig. 4, p. 7; Fig. 5a). The location of

the monument between the building of the former mer

chant club and the city moat, near the Staromiejska prom

enade, was also considered (Fig. 4, p. 8; Fig. 5b).

The suggestions from the citizens of Wrocław cited

above served as a starting point for the selection of four

potential locations for the Fredro monument put forward

by ocials of the Municipal Architectural and Con struc

Until 1944, in the Solny Square there was a monument to Geb

hard Leberecht von Blücher.

Fig. 5. Wrocław, proposals for the location of the monument to Aleksander Fredro:

a) Teatralny Square, situational plan and perspective view of the monument’s location (drawing by J. Winklendt, B. Łaciok, 1956 [14]),

b) Staromiejska promenade, photomontage, ca. 1956 (source: Construction Archives in Wrocław, ref. MAtAB1425F)

Il. 5. Wrocław, propozycje usytuowania pomnika Aleksandra Fredry:

a) plac Teatralny, plan sytuacyjny i widok perspektywiczny usytuowania monumentu (rys. J. Winklendt, B. Łaciok, 1956 [15]),

b) promenada Staromiejska, fotomontaż, ok. 1956 (źródło: Archiwum Budowlane we Wrocławiu, sygn. MAtAB1425F)

a b

50 Joanna Majczyk

previous proposal, low intensity of pedestrian trac.

Despite this, the installation of the monument was

thought to be able to provide an impetus to transform the

random space created by the demolition of several tene

ment houses into a square, which in turn would make it

possible to unveil the “outstanding architecture” of the

University’s headquarters.

Finally, the last suggestion of the ocials related to the

square arranged along Świdnicka Street (then Stalin 

gradz ka), between the Opera and the city moat (Fig. 6d).

The advantage of this location undoubtedly lied its acces

sibility, the “thematic” link (theatre – comedy writer).

However, it was feared that the small monument would

get “lost” in the greenery. The proposals were supple

mented by information on the dimensions of the sculpture

(2 m 18 cm high) and the plinth, which was also brought

from Lviv (2 m 8 cm high), as well as a suggestion to

increase the height of the monument with an additional

step, which would make it easier to expose it well.

This discussion was an attempt, unprecedented in the

history of Wrocław, to nd a place for the sculpture in the

structure of the existing city. The destruction of the Old

Town, estimated in 1945 at around 50%, posed a consid

erable challenge. By 1956 the frontages around the Mar

ket Square and Solny Square had been partially rebuilt,

while the northeastern area of the Old Town remained

undeveloped. The fact that no monument was erected in

the city’s public space during the rst postwar decade

added signicance to the matter

. It seems, therefore, that

the searched site should be developed (preserved or re

built), exposed, “ideologically” (proximity to art institu

tions, places associated with the culture of prewar Lviv),

or stylistically (looking for links between the architectural

setting and the character of the monument itself) conver

gent with Fredro’s sculpture. References were also made

to the tradition of placing monuments to writers, especial

ly in seated positions, in park surroundings. Places in

Wrocław where monuments used to be lo cated were also

pointed to. Eventually, in June 1956, it was decided that

the sculpture of Fredro would be placed in the Market

Square, close to the spot where the monument to Friedrich

Wilhelm III had stood before the war (Fig. 7a, b). Gregor

Thum, the author of a book on the immediate postwar

history of Wrocław, believed that the choice of location

for the statue of Fredro was not accidental, as the inten

tion was to preserve the function of “nationally marked

places of remembrance” [18, p. 337]. The researcher’s

words seem to be conrmed by the attitude of the contem

porary city authorities of Lviv, who decided in the early

1990s to erect a similar monument to Mikhail Hrushev 

sky (1866–1934) in the place formerly occupied by the

Alexander Fredro monument (Fig. 7c).

On the dierent concepts of monuments that were planned to be

built in Breslau in 1945–1956, cf. [17].

Fig. 6. Wrocław, proposals for the location of the monument to Aleksander Fredro, perspective views and development plans, 1956:

a) Market Square, b) area of the National Ossoliński Institute, c) the area of Uniwersytecka Street and Uniwersytecki Square,

d) square at the Wrocław Opera House (drawing by L. Dąbrowski [16])

Il. 6. Wrocław, propozycje usytuowania pomnika Aleksandra Fredry, widoki perspektywiczne i plany zagospodarowania, 1956:

a) Rynek, b) rejon Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich, c) rejon ul. Uniwersyteckiej i pl. Uniwersyteckiego,

d) skwer przy Operze Wrocławskiej (rys. L. Dąbrowski [16])

a dcb

Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro. Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure 51

It is worth mentioning that the decision of the Wrocław

authorities was protested against by members of the local

branch of the Association of Art Historians, who in a let

ter addressed to the Presidium of the City National Coun

cil criticised the idea of placing the Fredro monument on

the main city square, in the vicinity of the city hall. The

authors of the letter pointed, not without reason, to the

intimate nature of the statue, which “lacks any monumen

tal features”, while the location chosen by the ocials

should feature “a monument of a heroic type”. As argued,

in the Market Square there could be space for a national

hero, bard, or one of the Piast dynasty members connected

with the history of Wrocław. It would be a perfect location,

and maybe one day we would bring ourselves to do it, for,

for example, a monument to Hen ry IV, Prince of Wrocław,

Krakow, and Sandomierz [19]. One of the lo cal dailies also

printed a letter from a “ reader”, a Lvivborn journalist

Bro nisław Winnicki, who appealed to the city authorities

to locate the monument in a setting reminiscent of its Lviv

original. When considering where to place this monument

– Winnicki wrote – let us remember that in Lviv it stood

on the small Academic Square, opposite Fredro Street, in

the immediate vicinity of the old University. In Wrocław

we do have a suitable place for this monument. One of

them includes the square next to the Ossolineum Library,

which could be transformed into a beautiful square. Ano

ther one could be the square next to the PDT at the end of

park avenue, at the moat, and near Fredro Street. Even if

we fear that it would be overwhelmed by the grandeur

of the PDT, the vicinity of Fredro Street justies the

choice [11]. Re pre sentatives of the Association of Art Hi

storians proposed organising a conference to nd a statue

placement other than the Wrocław Market Square but the

meeting never took place, and the statue was ocially

unveiled on 15 July 1956, on the 80

anniversary of the

writer’s death. How ever, the comments by Winnicki and

representatives of the Association of Art Historians were

not unfounded. The statue was placed in a much larger

space, the area con ned by the façade of the town hall,

and the frontages of the buildings in the market square are

about 2.5 times larger than the Academic Square in Lviv.

The buildings in Wrocław are also almost one and a half

times higher than those on the Lviv square, and addition

ally, the eastern and western borders of the urban space

are dened by two high landmarks, i.e., the

Town Hall

tower, which is 66 m high at its highest point, and the mod

ernist headquarters of the former Municipal Savings Bank

(Städtische Spar kasse, now Santander bank),

which is al

most 40 m high (Fig. 8).

Summary

Even if it lacks monumental character, the monument

to Aleksander Fredro responded well to the realism move

ment, which the socialist doctrinaires regarded as the

bench mark of the new art canon. As stated by Vera Muk

hi na, the author of the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman, a mo

nument being the agship work of socialist realism, the

Fig. 7. Wrocław, Market Square:

a) monument to Kaiser Wilhelm III (photo by H. Götz, 1913; source: Burgemeister L., Das Breslauer Rathaus. Geschichtliche und bauliche

Beschreibung, Verlag von Wilhelm Gottlieb Korn, Breslau 1913, p. 48), b) monument to Aleksander Fredro (photo by W. Majczyk, 2017),

c) Lviv, Academic Square (now проспект Тараса Шевченка), the monument to Mikhail Hrushevsky, 2014

(photo by Alex Van Shumm, 2014; source: https://wikimapia.org/#lang=pl&lat=49.835429&lon=24.032326&z=20&m=w&show=/5069042/

MemorialtoMichaelHrushevski/photo/4493065)

Il. 7. Wrocław, Rynek:

a) pomnik cesarza Wilhelma III (fot. H. Götz, 1913; źródło: Burgemeister L., Das Breslauer Rathaus. Geschichtliche und bauliche Beschreibung,

Verlag von Wilhelm Gottlieb Korn, Breslau 1913, s. 48), b) pomnik Aleksandra Fredry (fot. W. Majczyk, 2017),

c) Lwów, plac Akademicki (obecnie проспект Тараса Шевченка), pomnik Michajły Hruszewskiego, 2014

(fot. Alex Van Shumm, 2014; źródło: https://wikimapia.org/#lang=pl&lat=49.835429&lon=24.032326&z=20&m=w&show=/5069042/

MemorialtoMichaelHrushevski/photo/4493065)

a cb

52 Joanna Majczyk

hero of a “people’s” sculpture should be a person, either

a great historical gure (homeland defenders, artists,

scho lars, writers) or workers who “pave new roads for

so cialist production” [20, p. 30]. At the same time, art, as

an element of state policy with a propaganda function,

was assumed to be available to the public and thus, sculp

tures were placed in the most important city squares and

places of gatherings and demonstrations, and the way they

were adapted to the least demanding audience. Please note

that Vladimir Ilyich Lenin himself spoke out on the sub

ject of art, describing in 1918 the importance of artistic

activity in building a new socialist culture and listing the

historical gures who could and should be commemorat

ed with monuments, plaques with reliefs, or commemora

tive boards

. The exceptional educational role of socialist

sculptures was emphasised together with their […] mo-

mentous signicance in extracting and raising the ideolog-

ical and aesthetic level of urban or architectural assump-

tions [21, pp. 24, 25]. Those quotations clearly indicate

that ideological content dominated the consideration

of art

Frédéric Chopin was among the 66 people (European revolutio

naries, socialists and artists) that Lenin listed in his “programme”.

aesthetics in the literature. Lenin believed that abstract

and nongurative art would not be understood by the

proletariat, thus artists were urged to draw inspiration

from the artistic legacy of 19

century realism. Realism

was seen as “the basis of true art”, attempted to get syn

thesised through the conventionality of the message, as

Mukhina explained: […] conventionality gives some clar-

ity and brightness to the image, explains it, sharpens it,

makes the image reach the consciousness more easily

even when viewed supercially, and at the same time

warrants its decorative character [20, p. 30]. Mukhina’s

words rather referred to the largescale representations,

groups of sculptures, so popular during the socialist real

ism period. Marconi’s monument was not about synthe

sis, it was simply supposed to be a realistic portrait of

Aleksander Fredro.

In contrast to monumental sculpture, which was as

cribed the role of “a centre crystallising the meaning of

the whole, often vast architectural composition” [22, p. 5],

the monument to Fredro was treated as a decorative ele

ment, an object of small architecture decorating a space

alien to it for which it was not designed. The choice of

Wrocław’s market square, considered the most prestig

ious location for any monument, becomes more under

Fig. 8. Historical locations of the monument to Aleksander Fredro, development plans, cross and longitudinal sections,

a) Lviv, Academic Square, b) Wrocław, Market Square

(elaborated by J. Majczyk)

Il. 8. Historyczne miejsca usytuowania pomnika Aleksandra Fredry, plany zagospodarowania, przekroje poprzeczne i podłużne:

a) Lwów, plac Akademicki, b) Wrocław, Rynek

(oprac. J. Majczyk)

a b

Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro. Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure 53

References

[1] Matwijów M., Walka o lwowskie dobra kultury 1945–1948, To wa

rzystwo Przyjaciół Ossolineum, Wrocław 1996.

[2] Zakrzewski B., Śląskie przygody Aleksandra Fredry, Zakład Naro

dowy im. Ossolińskich, Wrocław–Warszawa–Kraków 1991.

[3] Stański P.M., Pomniki Aleksandra Fredry we Lwowie i Krakowie,

“Cracovia Leopolis” 2005, nr 4, 38–41.

[4] Antkowiak Z., Pomniki Wrocławia, Zakład Narodowy im. Osso liń

skich, Wrocław–Warszawa–Kraków–Gdańsk–Łódź 1985.

[5] Antkowiak Z., Wrocław od A do Z, Zakład Narodowy im. Osso

lińskich, Wrocław 1997.

[6] Sztejn J., Pomnik Aleksandra hr. Fredry, [in:] I. Bińkowska, E. Szo

pińska (red.), Leksykon zieleni Wrocławia, Via Nova, Wro cław

2013, 138–139.

[7] S.P., Pomnik Aleksandra Fredry, “Gazeta Lwowska” 1895, nr 225,

01.10.1895, 3.

[8] Zet., Pomnik Fredry we Lwowie, Lwów d. 24 października (Spra

woz danie oryginalne Głosu Narodu), “Głos Narodu” 1897, nr 244,

26.10.1897, 2–3.

[9] [n.a.], Kiedy i gdzie stanie pomnik Aleksandra Fredry?, “Gazeta

Ro botnicza” 1956, nr 20, 24.01.1956, 4.

[10] Czerner O., Mój wiek XX. 1900–1970, Muzeum Architektury we

Wrocławiu, Wrocław 2016.

[11] List do redakcji. W sprawie pomnika Aleksandra Fredry, “Gazeta

Robotnicza” 1956, nr 104, 02.05.1956, 4.

[12] Burtyńczuk E., Repatriacja Fredry czyli obrachunki z kwaterun

kiem, “Świat” 1956, nr 27, 01.07.1956, 10.

[13] Przyłęcka D., Nie od razu Wrocław odbudowano. Plany zagospo

darowania przestrzennego, koncepcje oraz projekty urbanistyczne

i architektoniczne a ich realizacja w latach 1945–1989, Ocyna

Wydawnicza Atut, Wrocław 2012.

[14] [n.a.], Pokłony Wrocławia dla Aleksandra Fredry, “Słowo Polskie”

1956, nr 121, 22.05.1956, 3.

[15] [n.a.], Pokłosie naszego konkursuankiety. Jest w czym wybierać

– teraz trzeba zdecydować, gdzie ostatecznie ma stanąć pomnik

Alek sandra Fredry, “Gazeta Robotnicza”, nr 131, 0203.06.1956, 4.

[16] Dąbrowski L., O wyborze miejsca dla pomnika Fredry we Wro

cławiu, “Słowo Polskie” 1956, nr 122, 23.05.1956, 4.

[17] Majczyk J., Tomaszewicz A., Pomniki w przestrzeni publicznej

Wrocławia w latach 1945–1956, “Wiadomości Konserwatorskie

– Journal of Heritage Conservation” 2019, nr 58, 91–103.

[18] Thum G., Obce miasto. Wrocław 1945 i potem, Via Nova, Wrocław

2008.

[19] List otwarty do Prezydium Miejskiej Rady Narodowej. Jeszcze raz

w sprawie pomnika Fredry, “Gazeta Robotnicza” 1956, nr 145,

19.06.1956, 4.

[20] Muchina W., Obraz i temat w rzeźbie monumentalnodekoracyjnej,

“Przegląd Artystyczny” 1952, nr 5, 23–34.

[21] [n.a.], O rzeźbie monumentalnej, “Przegląd Artystyczny” 1952,

nr 6, 22–28.

[22] Tworkowski S., O pomnikach, “Przegląd Artystyczny” 1954, nr 1,

5–17.

[23] Forowicz T., Na otwarcie wystawy Władysława Tumkiewicza, “Spra

wy i Ludzie” 1955, nr 31, 13–14.08.1955, 3.

standable if we take into account its ideological signi

cance and the degree of the city’s postwar destruction.

This state of aairs was mainly blamed on the indolence

of the city authorities, the reluctant attitude of the State

Economic Planning Committee towards the nancing

works of art, the low public interest with simultaneous

passive attitude of the Wrocław’s artistic community. The

press lamented that […] neither the city administrators,

nor national councils did make an eort to build monu-

ments […], to promote Polishness and Wrocław’ insepa-

rability from the Motherland with something more than

mere slogans on canvas, but with permanent statues made

of stone and bronze [23].

Today, 65 years after unveiling Aleksander Fredro’s

statue, most Wrocław citizens cannot even imagine the

Market Square without it. If a monumental sculpture, as

Stefan Tworkowski wrote, “gets deeply and permanently

etched in the consciousness” [22, p. 5], then in this re

spect Marconi’s work has become monumental.

Translated by

Junique Justin Nnorom

Abstract

Monument of Earl Aleksander Fredro. Concepts of location in Wrocław’s spatial structure

The Monument to Aleksander Fredro was brought to Wrocław in 1956 and placed in the Wrocław Market Square to become a favourite meeting

place of the city inhabitants after some years. The nal location decision was preceded by a discussion, reported in detail in the press. Initially, it

was thought that the small and rather cosy monument form precluded its placement in the large, open space of a central city square. After all,

Leonardo Marconi’s work was designed for the small Lviv Academic Square, located in the vicinity of the Fredro family’s residence gardens.

However, the writer’s sculpture took a special meaning in postwar Wrocław. Firstly it was perceived as a symbol of Polishness, a metaphorical link

between the Recovered Territories and the lost Eastern Borderlands, and secondly, it was the rst “Polish” monument to be unveiled in the centre of

former Breslau. This is why the monument was nally placed in the city’s most important square, in place of the equestrian monument to Friedrich

Wilhelm III, demolished after Word War II, thus symbolically “sacralising” the Wrocław market square.

This paper aims to present a discussion, now forgotten, on the location of the Fredro monument, to which not only decisionmakers but also

citizens of the city were invited. The paper presents previously unpublished concepts for the location of the monument in various, nowadays not

obvious, spots in Wrocław.

Key words: art, monumental sculpture, Leonardo Marconi, Aleksander Fredro monument, Lviv, Wrocław, Regained Territories

54 Joanna Majczyk

Streszczenie

Pomnik Aleksandra hr. Fredry. Koncepcje usytuowania w strukturze przestrzennej Wrocławia

Pomnik Aleksandra Fredry przywieziony do Wrocławia w 1956 r. i ulokowany na wrocławskim rynku stał się po latach ulubionym miejscem

spotkań mieszkańców miasta. Ostateczną decyzję lokalizacyjną poprzedziła dyskusja, którą szczegółowo relacjonowano w prasie. Początkowo

uważano, że kameralne formy pomnika wykluczają umieszczenie go w dużej, otwartej przestrzeni centralnego placu miej skiego – dzieło Leonarda

Marconiego było w końcu projektowane z myślą o niewielkim lwowskim placu Akademickim, położonym w sąsiedztwie ogrodów rezydencji

Fredrów. Tymczasem w powojennym Wrocła wiu rzeźbie pisarza nadano szczególne znaczenie – po pierwsze postrzegano ją jako symbol polskości,

metaforyczne powiązanie Ziem Odzyskanych z utraconymi Kre sami Wschodnimi, po drugie zaś była pierwszym „polskim” monumentem odsłonię

tym w centrum dawnego Breslau. Dlatego właśnie zdecydowano o postawieniu go na najważniejszym placu miasta, na miejscu zburzonego po

wojnie konnego pomnika Fryderyka Wilhelma III, sym bolicznie „sakralizując” tym samym wrocławski rynek.

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie zapomnianej dziś dyskusji na temat lokalizacji pomnika Fredry, do której zaproszono nie tylko decydentów,

ale też mieszkańców miasta. W pracy zaprezentowano niepublikowane wcześniej koncepcje usytuowania pomnika w różnych, nieoczywistych dziś

punktach Wrocławia.

Słowa kluczowe: sztuka, rzeźba monumentalna, Leonardo Marconi, pomnik Aleksandra Fredry, Lwów, Wrocław, Ziemie Odzyskane