Maria Cunitz Bench in Świdnica

The Maria Cunitz Bench stands on the market square in Świdnica, in front of the Museum of Old Trade. It is a sculpture by Stanisław Strzyżyński, unveiled on 31 March 2009 with funds from the Świdnica Municipal Office as part of the project "2008: The Year of Maria Kunic (Cunitii)".

Who Maria Cunitz was

Maria Cunitz (about 1610-1664) was an astronomer who spent a significant part of her life in Świdnica. Her main work was "Urania propitia". Her autograph "Maria Cunitia" has survived on a letter to Johannes Hevelius, sent from Łubnice on 28 February 1648, kept today as a manuscript at the Paris Observatory.

What the sculpture shows

The sculpture shows Maria Cunitz sitting on a bench and looking up at the sky. In her hands she holds her work "Urania propitia" and an armillary sphere, a historical astronomical instrument used for observing the sky. On the depicted book is the autograph "Maria Cunitia", the same one that survives on the letter to Hevelius.

Practical information

• Address: Market Square in Świdnica, in front of the Museum of Old Trade
• Access: on foot, the bench stands within Świdnica's market square, in the very centre of the town
• What to expect: a bench sculpture set at pavement level, you can sit next to the figure
• Right next to it, on the same square, is the Museum of Old Trade in Świdnica, and nearby the Cathedral of St Stanislaus and St Wenceslaus and the Church of Peace in Świdnica