On March 19, 2018, the monument that had stood since 1966 in the square by the PKP railway station in Bolesławiec was dismantled. The residents of Bolesławiec called it Światowid. The monument was shaped like a column covered with ceramic tiles, topped with ceramic masks. They symbolized figures associated with the Baptism of Poland: Mieszko I, his wife Dobrawa, and the first Polish king, Bolesław Chrobry. The monument was created by the Kraków artist Leon Dziedzic, a student of Franciszek Ksawery Dunikowski. As an interesting fact, Leon Dziedzic also created another Bolesławiec monument dedicated to the Second Army of the Polish Army, located on generał Augusta Emila Fieldorfa “Nila” Street.

The History of Światowid’s Renovation

The monument known as Światowid was created during one of the ceramic and sculpture plein-air workshops held periodically in Bolesławiec. It was taken away for renovation in 2018. The monument was in very poor technical condition.

“The ceramic cladding of the shaft had delaminated and cracked; some of it had detached from the supporting structure and fallen off, becoming damaged,” explains the city spokesperson, Agnieszka Gergont. “This was caused by the monument’s outdoor exposure and prolonged exposure to adverse weather conditions such as rain, frost, and intense sunlight. The glaze on the upper part of the monument—the helmet—had also flaked off. As a result of improper profiling and technological cracks formed during firing, water accumulated there, accelerating the destructive processes. The reinforced-concrete structure itself had also suffered extensive corrosion. Only the stone plinth remained in fairly good condition, although this element required cleaning and impregnation.”

Its renovation was commissioned to the sculptor Mateusz Grobelny, who was associated with BOK–MCC. The work was to be financed by the Bolesławiec City Hall, while the Museum of Ceramics was to provide curatorial supervision.

In 2019, we asked again what was happening with the monument. We were told that sculptor Mateusz Grobelny was still handling Światowid’s renovation and that the work was being supervised by the Museum of Ceramics.

In 2021, when asked once again about the monument’s fate, UM spokesperson Agnieszka Gergont replied that placing the monument among other ceramic sculptures planned for display at or on the grounds of the Museum of Ceramics was being considered—the area around its new location, the park on Zgorzelecka Street. She also recalled that the monument had been dismantled in order to carry out reconstruction and renovation work. The dismantled object was secured and would be renovated under the supervision of the Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec.

In 2021, Mateusz Grobelny’s name stopped being mentioned as the person responsible for renovating the monument. The artist had worked at BOK–MCC but left his job roughly after Kornel Filipowicz became director.

There Is a New Location for the Monument, but No Money for Renovation

All surviving fragments of the monument are currently at the Municipal Housing Management Facility.

“The estimated cost of renovation is PLN 100,000,” says Agnieszka Gergont. “The renovation of the monument depends on obtaining external funding. There are currently no calls for applications. The Municipality of Bolesławiec has twice submitted an application for funding for a project financed from funds at the disposal of the director of the Polish Sculpture Center in Orońsko, Public Sculpture for Independent Poland. Despite receiving a positive formal assessment, the funding was not awarded. Nevertheless, the City Hall continues to seek opportunities to finance or subsidize the project costs,” the spokesperson assures us.

Because of the lack of funds, nobody has renovated the monument.

“Following conservation, the monument is planned to be displayed at a new location in the square on Bolesława Chrobrego Street, approximately 200 meters from its original site. The sculpture, situated on level ground surrounded by greenery, will be clearly visible from one of the city’s main thoroughfares. Another ceramic sculpture, created during the Lower Silesian Plein-Air Workshop—‘Eagles’ by Lech Szutkowski—is already located there. Placing Leon Dziedzic’s monument next to it will give the entire square the context of a site dedicated to the history of Bolesławiec’s plein-air workshops,” the spokesperson explains.