{"id":1181,"date":"2021-08-31T21:27:58","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T19:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/dev\/?post_type=object&p=1181"},"modified":"2021-10-28T17:35:19","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T15:35:19","slug":"millennium-tree","status":"publish","type":"object","link":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/obiekt\/millennium-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Millennium Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

Technique: <\/strong>wrought steel<\/p>\n

Dimensions:<\/strong> approx. 500 cm (grey granite)<\/p>\n

Object:<\/strong> The Millennium Tree is a monument in the form of a polished stainless steel tree, commemorating Gda\u0144sk\u2019s millennial anniversary. Leonard Andrzej Dajkowski \u2013 the honorary president of the Association of Polish Artist Blacksmiths \u2013 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\u2019s 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 Gda\u0144sk. 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

A bronze plaque in a steel frame is placed in front, at the foot of the monument. It reads as follows:<\/p>\n

\u201cErection Act on God\u2019s year 1997, on the 19th<\/sup> day of July, during the pontificate of the Polish Pope John Paul II, when J\u00f3zef Glemp was the Cardinal of the Republic of Poland, Tadeusz Goc\u0142owski the Metropolitan Archbishop of Gda\u0144sk, Aleksander Kwasniewski the President of the Republic of Poland, Henryk Wojciechowski the Gda\u0144sk Voivode, Tomasz Posadzki the Mayor of the City of Gda\u0144sk, on the initiative of Jerzy Krechowicz, Vice-Chancellor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gda\u0144sk, 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 Gda\u0144sk Millennium Tree was erected as a symbol of people\u2019s solidarity, to celebrate the 1000th<\/sup> anniversary of Gda\u0144sk, 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 Gda\u0144sk, while artistic blacksmiths from around the world contributed decorative elements as a symbol of working people\u2019s solidarity.<\/p>\n

The Council and Management of the city of Gda\u0144sk, POLIX Danuta i Miros\u0142aw Buran, BIGMONT Miros\u0142aw i Adam Sobczyk, Kowalstwo artystyczne Jolanta i Zbigniew Felscy, AchlaDESIGNS Achla Bachl Madan Ashok Hingorany USA\/India, Okr\u0119gowe Przedsi\u0119biorstwo Geodezyjno-Kartograficzne OPGK sp. zoo w Gda\u0144sku\u201d.<\/p>\n

Place:<\/strong> The tree was originally unveiled in 1997 next to the \u017bak Students\u2019 Club at 1 Wa\u0142y Jagiello\u0144skie Street (currently City Hall) to celebrate the 1000th<\/sup> anniversary of the first mention of the city of Gda\u0144sk. Following its dismantling, a location next to the St. Brigitte church was considered, but, finally, on 7 August 1998, it was placed in Targ W\u0119glowy, on the square on the eastern side of the market.<\/p>\n

Information about the author:<\/strong> Leonard Andrzej Dajkowski (born in 1941 in Warsaw, died In 2018 in Gda\u0144sk), 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 \u017begluga Morska). His passion for blacksmithing came from Stanis\u0142aw Skura (1909\u201381), an artistic blacksmithing master from Sopot, who was\u00a0 Leonard\u2019s neighbour and friend in the 1970s. Following a period of \u201capprenticeship\u201d in the master\u2019s 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 Gda\u0144sk. 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 Gda\u0144sk, and recreated the wrought measurement forms at the entrance to the Main Town Hall in Gda\u0144sk. Individual elements were created by blacksmiths from various countries. Donors included:<\/p>\n

Dajkowska Dorota Poland
\nDajkowski Leonard Poland
\nDywelski Zenon Poland
\nZi\u0119ba Igor Poland
\nKroll Henryk Poland
\nKuster Alfred Poland
\nZulewski Franciszek Poland
\nZulewski Leszek Poland
\nWo\u0142yniec Miros\u0142aw Poland
\nSterczy\u0144ski Pawe\u0142 Poland
\nBorowiak Jan Poland
\nSelmola Perti Finland
\nNieminen Jouko Finland
\nD\u0105browski Jaros\u0142aw Poland
\nBednarski Robert Poland
\nKrukowski Antoni Poland
\nMazur Ryszard\u00a0Poland
\nMoran Ian England
\nRidder Rainer Germany
\n\u015aliwi\u0144ski Piotr Poland
\nOberon Peat England
\nDuda Bogdan Poland
\nBuszmielew Leonid Russia
\nTomaszewski Krzysztof Poland
\nSchmidt Andrzej Poland
\nGos Adam Poland
\nBaranowski Marek Poland
\nLe\u015bniewski Krzysztof Poland
\nTruszy\u0144ski Joachim Poland
\nBABA British Artist Blacksmiths Association
\nIFGS Association of German Artists in Metal
\nSPAK Association of Polish Artist Blacksmiths<\/p>\n

Condition of the object: <\/strong>good<\/p>\n

Owner\/guardian:<\/strong> Gda\u0144sk Road and Greenery Authority<\/p>\n

Author of the entry: Kora Kowalska<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 Gda\u0144sk\u2019s millennial anniversary. Leonard Andrzej Dajkowski \u2013 the honorary president of the Association of Polish Artist Blacksmiths \u2013 had the idea for the sculpture. All over the world, artist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":274,"template":"","object_cats":[35,39],"districts":[47],"object_authors":[55],"class_list":["post-1181","object","type-object","status-publish","hentry","object_cat-installation","object_cat-sculpture","obj_district-old-town","object_author-kora-kowalska-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/objects\/1181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/objects"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/object"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"object_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/object_cats?post=1181"},{"taxonomy":"obj_district","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/districts?post=1181"},{"taxonomy":"object_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaps.gda.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/object_authors?post=1181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}