Maria Skłodowska-Curie Monument (Ochota)
History
The monument was dedicated to Maria Skłodowska-Curie, a 19th- and 20th-century physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. The statue was commissioned by Stefan Starzyński, the mayor of Warsaw, and designed by sculptor Ludwika Nitschowa. It was cast in Bracia Łopieńscy alloy works. The statue was unveiled on 5 September 1935, near Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology. It was placed near a tree that was planeted by Skłodowska-Curie in 1932.
The monument was demaged during the Warsaw Uprising in the Second World War, when it was used by soldiers of the Russian People's Liberation Army, a Russian collaborationist formation off the Protection Squadron, as a practice target. It was renovated in 1997, however the bullet holes were left in, as a reminder of the conflict.
Characteristics
The monument is placed at a small garden square at the intersection of Wawelska and Skłodowskiej-Curie Streets, and near the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology. It is placed near a tree that was planeted by Skłodowska-Curie in 1932.
It consists of a bronze statue of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, placed on a pedestal. She is depicted in reflecting pose, while walking, with her head pointed down, and her chin resing on a palm of her hand. The monument has the total height of around 3 m. It features the inscription as transcribed below.
| Polish inscription | English translation |
|---|---|
MARJI |
To Maria Skłodowska-Curie, the capital, 1935 |
See also
- Maria Skłodowska-Curie Monument (Downtown, Warsaw), another monument in Warsaw, dedicated to Skłodowska-Curie
References
- ^ Irena Grzesiuk-Olszewska: Warszawska rzeźba pomnikowa. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Neriton, 2003, p. 93. ISBN 83-88973-59-2. (in Polish)
- ^ Wiesław Głębocki: Szlakiem Stefana Starzyńskiego. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo PTTK Kraj, 1984, p. 46. ISBN 9788300006328. (in Polish)
- ^ Wiesław Głębocki: Warszawskie pomniki. Wydawnictwo PTTK Kraj, 1990, p. 80–81. ISBN 8302041300. (in Polish)
- ^ "Drzewo posadzone przez noblistkę". um.warszawa.pl (in Polish). 28 May 2015.