Hewelion the Businessman

Technique: cast bronze

Dimensions: ca. 50 cm (H), ca. 30–40 kg (weight)

Object: Hewelion the Businessman is one of a series of figurines (eventually there will be 40 of them) that are a new Gdańsk attraction and part of a tourist route around Gdańsk – the Trail of Hewelion the Lion. The name Hewelion is derived from the name of the famous Gdańsk astronomer Johannes Hevelius (Heweliusz in Polish) and the English word “lion” – the animal found in the Gdańsk coat of arms. Hewelion is the protagonist of a tourist route initiated and continuously developed by the Gdańsk Tourism Organization. The lions can be found using the free iLeo application. By downloading it to one of two available operating systems (IOS or Android) and activating the Bluetooth function on the phone, the user can enjoy a range of interesting information. When the camera is brought close to each Hewelion sculpture, a message will be shown on the phone’s screen in the form of text and an audio file, through which the lion presents the history of the place. The narration is meant to enable the youngest tourists to gain as much valuable information about Gdańsk as possible. All Hewelion figurines are personalized and equipped with attributes that refer to the places where they are located and their history (e.g. Hewelion the Mayor, Hewelion the Businessman, Hewelion the Astronomer, Hewelion from the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, Hewelion the Sailor, Hewelion the Brewer, Hewelion the Footballer, Hewelion the Traveller, Hewelion the Pilot, Hewelion as Lord of the Sea, Hewelion the Actor, Hewelion the Merchant, Hewelion the Pirate.

Hewelion the Businessman stands by the Great Mill (Wielki Młyn), which was once a thriving enterprise. Hewelion is selling the last bag of flour milled there and (as befits a true businessman) meticulously calculates its value on a tablet.

Place: next to the Great Mill (Wielki Młyn).

The Great Mill (Wielki Młyn) is an exceptional example of medieval technical architecture in Gdańsk with a characteristic double-pitched roof. It is located in the Old Town on the Radunia Channel. In its time, the Great Mill – 26 m high and 41 m long – was the largest industrial investment in Europe. It is equipped with 18 water wheels with a diameter of 5 m, which was a great technical achievement in the Middle Ages. The building served not only as a mill, but also as a granary and bakery. In the 17^th century, bread baked in the Great Mill was sold, among others, by the Old Town Hall on the Bread Bridge (Most Chlebowy). The Great Mill worked from its construction until 1945, when it burned down completely. Nowadays, you can still see the large mill wheels in its gothic interiors, and the building houses one of Gdańsk’s youngest museums – the Museum of Amber.

Information about the author: Tomasz Radziewicz (b. 1974 in Bartoszyce) is a sculptor and illustrator. He studied at the State Art School in Olsztyn and the Faculty of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, graduating in 2003 from Prof. Stanisław Radwański’s studio. Radziewicz creates monumental, fantasy, abstract and realistic sculptures, boldly referring to pop culture.

Condition of the object: very good. The sculpture is insured against damage and cleaned several times a year.

Owner/guardian: Most of the Hevelion sculptures are looked after by the Gdansk Tourist Organization. However, some were founded by external companies/entities, e.g. Gdańsk Stadium, SAUR Neptun Gdańsk, Gdańsk Airport, Hevelianum and Gdańsk International Fair. One of the sculptures, with the trademark heart of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) – was put up for a WOŚP charity auction, and the title of donor went to the person who was the highest bidder.

Author of the entry: inventory made by the Gdańsk University of Technology team, description of the place: Jacek Dominiczak, additional information: Małgorzata Paszylka-Glaza