Nicolaus Copernicus Monument

It was created in 1899 according to the design by Cyprian Godebski, and on June 8, 1900, it was ceremoniously unveiled in the courtyard of the Collegium Maius of the Jagiellonian University. In 1953, upon the initiative of Karol Estreicher, the monument was moved to its current location, on the Planty in front of the Collegium Witkowski of the Jagiellonian University.

The initiator of the monument's construction was the art historian Marian Sokołowski. The funds used to create the monument were originally intended for paintings depicting the history of the Jagiellonian University, but they were not realized due to the death of Jan Matejko, who was supposed to be their author. By erecting the Copernicus monument, the 500th anniversary of the university's renewal was celebrated.

The bronze monument depicts Nicolaus Copernicus dressed as a student, standing on a granite pedestal. Four marble plaques with inscriptions in Latin dedicated to the memory of the great astronomer are embedded in the pedestal. Copernicus holds an astrolabe in his hands (sometimes stolen by scrap metal collectors). Originally, the monument was designed as a fountain, as evidenced by the drains and spouts at the bottom of the pedestal. The four marble columns surrounding the pedestal were designed to match the neo-Gothic architecture of the Collegium Maius.

Nicolaus Copernicus, also known as Mikołaj Kopernik in Polish and Nikolaus Kopernikus in German, was a versatile figure of the Renaissance era. He was active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon. One of his significant contributions was the formulation of a revolutionary model of the universe, placing the Sun at the center instead of Earth. It is highly probable that Copernicus developed his model independently of Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who had proposed a similar idea nearly eighteen centuries earlier.

The publication of Copernicus's model occurred in his book called "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), which was released shortly before his death in 1543. This event marked a significant milestone in the history of science, sparking the Copernican Revolution and making a pioneering contribution to the broader Scientific Revolution.

Copernicus was born and passed away in Royal Prussia, a region that had been part of the Kingdom of Poland since 1466. With his extensive knowledge and abilities, he excelled in various fields. He held a doctorate in canon law and possessed expertise in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, classical studies, translation, governance, diplomacy, and economics. Starting from 1497, he served as a canon in the Warmian Cathedral chapter. In 1517, he developed a theory of money known as the quantity theory, which became a fundamental concept in economics. Additionally, in 1519, he formulated an economic principle that later became known as Gresham's law.