Michał Bałucki Monument

The initiative to create the monument was taken by the Krakow Artistic and Literary Circle. The idea to commemorate the playwright arose shortly after his suicide on the Błonia meadow on October 17, 1901. Initially, it was planned to place the bust in a more prominent location, in front of the theater. However, this idea was met with protest from conservative circles in Krakow. The location behind the theater, next to the Church of the Holy Cross, was indicated by the Plantation Commission in 1910. Finally, the unveiling of the monument took place in 1911, on the 10th anniversary of Bałucki's death. The bust was created by Tadeusz Błotnicki, and the base of the monument was made by Piotr Cekiera. The unveiling ceremony was attended by the deceased's family, August Sokołowski, the chairman of the monument construction committee, and President Juliusz Leo.

For several years leading up to 2017, the growing tree located nearby posed an increasing threat to the monument as it leaned dangerously towards it. At one point, it even started touching the bust and tilting it. As a result, the city authorities decided to move the monument about a meter away from the tree. During the process of relocating the monument and performing conservation work, a trace of a bullet was discovered in its structure. The bullet had dented the metal around Bałucki's chest. The damage likely occurred shortly after 1945, and the conservators decided to leave the trace after cleaning and securing it.

Michał Bałucki, known by the pseudonym Elpidon, was a Polish playwright and poet born on September 29, 1837, in Kraków. He passed away on October 17, 1901, in the same city.

Bałucki received his education at the Saint's Ann gymnasium in Kraków, followed by studies at the Jagiellonian University. While he actively participated in a youth organization aiming to aid Poles in their resistance against the tsarist regime in Russian-occupied Poland, he did not personally engage in the January Uprising. However, he faced imprisonment for his involvement in a conspiracy and was subsequently arrested towards the end of 1863.

In 1861, Bałucki made his debut as a poet with works inspired by folklore. Within his poems, he directed criticism towards Galician aristocrats and the middle class that revered them.

During the later years of his life, Bałucki suffered from neurosis and depression. Tragically, following a strongly critical article written by Lucjan Rydel, he took his own life in Błonia Park.

List of Bałucki's Works:

Novels: 1864 Awakening, 1866 Elders and Young, 1870 Glittering Poverty, 1871 Jewess, 1872 It Is About a Piece of Land, 1874 From a Camp to a Camp, 1875 White Negro (Biały murzyn), 1881 Lordly Beggars, 1881 Cracow's Images, 1885 In Jewish Hands, 1887 The Mayor from Pipidówka.

Comedies: 1867 Councillor's Councillors, 1871 Hunting a Husband, 1871 Hard-Working Lazybones, 1873 Emancipation, 1879 Cousins, 1880 Neighbours, 1881 Big Shot, 1883 Neighbours: Open House, 1889 Neighbours: Hard Times, 1890 Neighbours: Bachelors' Club.