Monument to Mrongovius

Material/technique: bronze, cast, granite plinth

Dimensions: total height with plinth of 4 m

Object:

A monument to Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius (1764 Olsztynek [Hohenstein] – 1855 Gdańsk) – preacher, linguist, educator and translator, defender of Polish rights. The author of this free-standing bronze statue is the sculptor Gennady Yershov. Krzysztof Mrongovius is shown en face, in a long toga with bands (befka) fastened at the neck – a characteristic of the clerical attire of the Lutheran Church, and holding the attributes of a researcher – a goose pen in his right hand, extended to the side, and a book in his left hand, with his arm bent at the elbow. The face of a mature man with individualised features and shoulder-length hair has been carefully sculpted. Next to the figure, on the left, stands a high lectern, reaching up to the statue’s hip.

The monument is installed on a high pedestal made of red granite, with an orthogonal cross-section. The front of the pedestal features a small golden plate with the following inscription: KRZYSZTOF CELESTYN / MRONGOWIUSZ / (1764–1855). The plinth is wider at the bottom and has the shape of a seat. A circle of stone benches has been placed around the monument.

Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius was a great humanist from Gdańsk, who rose the prominence as a promoter and defender of the Polish language and one of the first researchers of Kashubian folklore. He taught Polish at the Academic Gymnasium Danzig and was a preacher of the Evangelical commune at the Church of St. Anna in Gdańsk. His work as a Polish language lecturer could be considered the genesis of the humanities of Gdańsk, which is why in 2007 the rector of the University of Gdańsk at the time, prof. Andrzej Ceynow established the Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius “Teacher of the Year” Award. One of its elements (awarded annually on the University of Gdańsk Day celebrated on 20 March) is a commemorative statuette in the form of a scholar’s bust, also designed by Gennady Yershov.

Location:

The monument to Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius is located on the premises of the Baltic Campus of the University of Gdańsk in Oliwa. The monument is located in a green area between the buildings of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, and the Faculty of History (facing them), and the Main Library of the University of Gdańsk.

About the author:

Gennady Yershov (born 1967 in Chernihiv) is a Polish-Ukrainian sculptor, jeweller, photographer, educator and social activist. He graduated from the Lviv State School of Decorative and Applied Arts and the Ukrainian Academy of Fine Arts in Kyiv. In 2000, he moved with his family to Gdańsk as a repatriate. He works with religious and monumental art. He is the author of, among others, the Stations of the Cross in St. Mary’s Basilica in Gdańsk (2006) and the statue of St. Vladimir in Gdańsk (2015).

Condition of the object: very good

Owner/guardian: University of Gdańsk

Author of the entry: Andrzej Zagrobelny