Millennium Tree

Technique: wrought steel

Dimensions: approx. 500 cm (grey granite)

Object: The Millennium Tree is a monument in the form of a polished stainless steel tree, commemorating Gdańsk’s millennial anniversary. Leonard Andrzej Dajkowski – the honorary president of the Association of Polish Artist Blacksmiths – had the idea for the sculpture. All over the world, artist blacksmiths try, during workshops or shows, to leave a mark in the form of small fountains, sculptures, monuments, park decorations or other elements intertwined with a city’s architecture or historical timeline. Leonard Dajkowski has repeatedly participated in blacksmithing events all over the world and wanted to leave such a souvenir in his own country. This led to the creation of the Millennium Tree, whose core was built in his artistic blacksmithing workshop in Gdańsk. Blacksmiths from all over the world could bring or send parts of the tree. The core consists of five branches, which are meant to resemble an open hand and a symbol of solidarity of working people from around the world. Currently, the tree features: branches with leaves of maple, oak, linden and other trees, as well as birds, butterflies, lizards, spiders in the tree’s branches, the Warsaw mermaid, a beetle from Great Britain, and a eucalyptus branch from Australian blacksmiths. The tree is constantly growing, with new stainless steel elements being attached from time to time.

A bronze plaque in a steel frame is placed in front, at the foot of the monument. It reads as follows:

“Erection Act on God’s year 1997, on the 19^th day of July, during the pontificate of the Polish Pope John Paul II, when Józef Glemp was the Cardinal of the Republic of Poland, Tadeusz Gocłowski the Metropolitan Archbishop of Gdańsk, Aleksander Kwasniewski the President of the Republic of Poland, Henryk Wojciechowski the Gdańsk Voivode, Tomasz Posadzki the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk, on the initiative of Jerzy Krechowicz, Vice-Chancellor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, and Leonard Dajkowski, Honorary Chair of the Association of Polish Artistic Blacksmiths, with the support of sponsors and the efforts of blacksmiths from all over the world, this Gdańsk Millennium Tree was erected as a symbol of people’s solidarity, to celebrate the 1000^th anniversary of Gdańsk, to bring eternal joy, and to be a souvenir for future generations. The monument was designed by Wojciech Schwarz, the tree trunk was made in the Artistic Blacksmithing Studio of Leonard Dajkowski in Gdańsk, while artistic blacksmiths from around the world contributed decorative elements as a symbol of working people’s solidarity.

The Council and Management of the city of Gdańsk, POLIX Danuta i Mirosław Buran, BIGMONT Mirosław i Adam Sobczyk, Kowalstwo artystyczne Jolanta i Zbigniew Felscy, AchlaDESIGNS Achla Bachl Madan Ashok Hingorany USA/India, Okręgowe Przedsiębiorstwo Geodezyjno-Kartograficzne OPGK sp. zoo w Gdańsku”.

Place: The tree was originally unveiled in 1997 next to the Żak Students’ Club at 1 Wały Jagiellońskie Street (currently City Hall) to celebrate the 1000^th anniversary of the first mention of the city of Gdańsk. Following its dismantling, a location next to the St. Brigitte church was considered, but, finally, on 7 August 1998, it was placed in Targ Węglowy, on the square on the eastern side of the market.

Information about the author: Leonard Andrzej Dajkowski (born in 1941 in Warsaw, died In 2018 in Gdańsk), initiator of the object. In 1962, he graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the State Maritime School in Gdynia and started working in Polish Sea Shipping (Polska Żegluga Morska). His passion for blacksmithing came from Stanisław Skura (1909–81), an artistic blacksmithing master from Sopot, who was  Leonard’s neighbour and friend in the 1970s. Following a period of “apprenticeship” in the master’s forge, the time came for him to start out on his own, initially in a small, rented forge in Oliwa and then, from 1980, in the Artistic Blacksmithing Workshop he built and furnished in Gdańsk. It was in his studio that he created the candelabra for the castle in Malbork, renovated the wrought elements of the Wapienniczy bridge balustrade in Gdańsk, and recreated the wrought measurement forms at the entrance to the Main Town Hall in Gdańsk. Individual elements were created by blacksmiths from various countries. Donors included:

Dajkowska Dorota Poland
Dajkowski Leonard Poland
Dywelski Zenon Poland
Zięba Igor Poland
Kroll Henryk Poland
Kuster Alfred Poland
Zulewski Franciszek Poland
Zulewski Leszek Poland
Wołyniec Mirosław Poland
Sterczyński Paweł Poland
Borowiak Jan Poland
Selmola Perti Finland
Nieminen Jouko Finland
Dąbrowski Jarosław Poland
Bednarski Robert Poland
Krukowski Antoni Poland
Mazur Ryszard Poland
Moran Ian England
Ridder Rainer Germany
Śliwiński Piotr Poland
Oberon Peat England
Duda Bogdan Poland
Buszmielew Leonid Russia
Tomaszewski Krzysztof Poland
Schmidt Andrzej Poland
Gos Adam Poland
Baranowski Marek Poland
Leśniewski Krzysztof Poland
Truszyński Joachim Poland
BABA British Artist Blacksmiths Association
IFGS Association of German Artists in Metal
SPAK Association of Polish Artist Blacksmiths

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: Gdańsk Road and Greenery Authority

Author of the entry: Kora Kowalska