Busts of Pomeranian Dukes Mestwin II and Swietopelk II

Technique: granite sculpture

Dimensions: 370 cm (total height with plinth), max. 130 × 85 cm (bust dimensions)

Object: The two busts placed on plinths form a sculpture group located in the southern part of Oliwa Park (referred to as the French one), in the axis of the Abbots’ Palace. The idea for the monument originated in the Culture Department of the Presidium of the National City Council in Gdańsk. The sculptures were made in the studio of Alfons Łosowski and unveiled in 1967. The two monuments are situated opposite each other, at a distance of approx. 10 m. The bust of Mestwin II is situated on a cuboid plinth made of grey granite, with a carved inscription reading: “Mestwin II Pomeranian Duke 1222–1294”. The bust is made in pink granite and shows the artist’s vision of Mestwin. The sculpture’s front part is supported by a wedge made of concrete and small pieces of granite. The bust depicting Swietopelk II is situated on a cuboid plinth made of grey granite, with a carved inscription reading: “Swietopelk II Pomeranian Duke 1195–1266”. The bust is made in pink granite, in the same style as that of Mestwin.

Swietopelk II was an outstanding governor and later duke of Gdańsk Pomerania. He fought numerous wars in changing alliances (incl. with Prussia in the Polish-Teutonic alliance, alliance with Prussia and Lithuanians against the dukes of Greater Poland and the Teutonic Knights, wars with the Greater Polish dukes Przemysł and Bolesław the Pious), but had also assured the economic development of Pomerania. It was under his rule that Gdańsk obtained city rights; he also invited the Dominican Order to Gdańsk. Mestwin II, son of Swietopelk II, continued his father’s policy of changing military and diplomatic alliances. A strong alliance with Greater Poland practically united the two principalities through a common policy. Historians argue that the rule of Mestwin II significantly contributed to overcoming divisions between the different principalities in the Duchy of Poland.

Place: The statues were not placed in the Oliwa Park by coincidence – it was the Pomeranian dukes who brought the Cistercians here and later contributed to the development of the local Cistercian chapter, where they were also buried. The Baroque (French) garden, which has survived in an almost unchanged form, was founded by abbot Jacek Rybiński (abbot of the Oliwa monastery in 1740–1782) in the mid-18^th century. At the time, the park was maintained by Kazimierz Dębiński, the former gardener of the park in Wilanów. The Oliwa Park was inspired by classical French gardens designed by the architect André Le Nôtre, who created the gardens in Versailles. The main axis of the composition led from the Rococo Abbots’ Palace to a water parterre – a rectangular pool referred to as the Swan Pond. The longer transverse axis was an alley directed east towards the sea, with two rows of lindens (up to 15 m high), ending with a widening rectangular passage framed by a vaulted linden trellis. Thanks to the illusion obtained, the sea located about 3 km away seemed to start right beyond the passage and was symbolically named by the monks Road to Eternity, which was later named Książęcy Widok (Princely View) in honour of the bishop.

Information about the author: Alfons Łosowski was born on 4 January 1908 in Orkiewicze in the Novogrudok region (currently in Belarus) and died on 27 June 1988. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the S. Báthory University in Vilnius under the supervision of Prof. Kuna, Mikenas and Aleksandrowicz. During World War II, he was a Home Army soldier of the Vilnius district. After the war, he settled in Gdańsk. Until 1955, he was working on reconstructing sculptures as part of the Gdańsk Old Town restoration. He brought back to life sculptures decorating many façades of the most famous tenement houses, all based on modest, surviving photographic documentation. In 1955, he started independent creative work in his studio at 11/13 Mariacka Street. He is the author of several outdoor sculptures in Gdańsk, which he donated to the city in 1966, as well as many sculptures in public buildings in Poland, in museums and private collections. Granite and wood were his primary working materials. He created a distinctive, raw style informed by modernism and primitivism.

Condition of the object –

Owner: Gdańsk City Hall, administrator: Gdańsk Road and Greenery Authority

Author of the entry: Kora Kowalska