Monument to Johannes Gutenberg

Technique: sculpture

Dimensions: 98 cm × 85 cm × 85 cm (plinth), max. 220 cm × 105 cm × 75 cm (figure), 7.5 m (height of the gazebo)

Object: The monument placed in a steel gazebo commemorates Johannes Gutenberg, a German craftsman generally regarded as the inventor of print. Although he was not the actual inventor of movable type, he did invent exchangeable matrices, the method of type design and composition, and the printing press. Therefore, he is regarded as the patron of printers and it was on their initiative that the first, wooden gazebo was unveiled in 1840 on the 400^th anniversary of the invention of print. In 1890, it was replaced by a wrought iron gazebo, and a bronze statue of Johannes Gutenberg was unveiled five years later. The project’s author was Ernst Paul and it was founded by the printer and publisher A. Kafemann. The statue was lost in 1945 and reconstructed in 1998, on the 500^th anniversary of print in Gdańsk. The replica was designed by Stanisław Radwański on the basis of a photograph. However, made of resin with a touch of bronze, it attracted thieves and the monument was systematically being chipped. It was ultimately set on fire by vandals in 2003, but the second version was unveiled already the following year.

The realistic figure in historical dress with Gutenberg’s attribute – a book in hand – was cast in synthetic resin that resembles bronze. It is placed on a granite plinth, in a stylized gazebo made of wrought iron and covered with a tin roof. The plinth features a carved cameo inscription reading “Gutenberg”.

Place: The statue is located on Gutenberg Avenue in the Jaśkowa Dolina Park. Less than a kilometre away is the Forest Theatre, an open-air cultural venue.

Information about the author: Stanisław Radwański (b. 1941) is a sculptor, painter and pedagogue, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He studied at the State High School of Visual Arts in Gdańsk at the Faculty of Sculpture. He graduated in 1968 from the studio of Prof. Stanisław Horno-Popławski. He is the author of statues, sacral and open-air sculptures and medals. Radwański won a number of sculpture competitions and awards in the field of culture, art and education.

Condition of the object: partially destroyed – plinth covered with graffiti

Owner/guardian: Gdańsk Road and Greenery Authority

Author of the entry: Michalina Domoń