Cemeteries and monuments
an 18th-century sculpture considered the largest monument to St John of Nepomuk in the world
Cemeteries and monuments
a 21-metre installation made from an upright historic Ty2-1035 steam locomotive on Plac Strzegomski
Cemeteries and monuments
fourteen bronze figures set into the pavement of Świdnicka Street, modelled on Jerzy Kalina's installation
Cemeteries and monuments
an equestrian monument to the king from 2007 on Świdnicka street, the first of its kind in post-war Wrocław
Cemeteries and monuments
a bronze figure of the author of "Maidens' Vows", cast in Lwów in 1897, on the Market Square since 1956
Cemeteries and monuments
sculptures of slaughter animals on Stare Jatki lane, created between 1997 and 2017 by a collective of artists
Cemeteries and monuments
a humorous 1935 sculpture commemorating the creation of a sewage treatment plant in Świdnica
Cemeteries and monuments
an outdoor sculpture of a boy with a catapult in his satchel, the first in the Children of Legnica series
Cemeteries and monuments
a late Baroque freestanding votive column decorated with figures of saints, in Międzylesie
Cemeteries and monuments
a baroque column from 1736 carved by Anton Jörg, standing on the market square of Bystrzyca Kłodzka
Cemeteries and monuments
a nine-metre concrete chair sculpture by Tadeusz Kantor, designed in 1970, erected in 2011
Cemeteries and monuments
a bench monument to astronomer Maria Cunitz on the market square, unveiled in 2009
Cemeteries and monuments
bronze sculpture of a seated gardener with a watering can decorated with the town's coat of arms, in the spa park
Cemeteries and monuments
Cemeteries and monuments
a ceramic sculpture of two armchairs and a seated woman from 1980, opposite the National Museum
Cemeteries and monuments
a bronze sculpture of Cupid on Pegasus from 1913, standing in Mikołaja Kopernika Park above the former City Moat
Cemeteries and monuments
a bronze monument to the poet and mystic Angelus Silesius in the courtyard of the Ossoliński National Institute, from 2007
Cemeteries and monuments
a reconstructed statue of the goddess Diana in Szczytnicki Park, recreating a monument lost in 1945
Cemeteries and monuments
a full-figure bronze monument to Chopin in front of the Spa Theatre, unveiled in 1976
Cemeteries and monuments
a 2004 sculpture by Jan Kucz commemorating the composer's public concert in Wrocław in 1830
Cemeteries and monuments
a reconstruction of the poet's 1911 monument, recreated in 2012 in the Botanical Garden
Cemeteries and monuments
a monument to the poet based on a 1909 sculpture by Wacław Szymanowski, transported to Wrocław by barge on the Oder
Cemeteries and monuments
a paved slab with a fallen bicycle and a tank track imprint, a 1999 replica commemorating Tiananmen Square
Cemeteries and monuments
a 1974 sculpture with a stylised heliocentric system and a bust of the astronomer, by the City Moat
Sculptures in Lower Silesia stand in market squares, parks and on hills. See where to find them and how to link them into a walk.
This page gathers outdoor sculptures, monuments and statues you can see without a ticket. Most are in Wrocław, but the Sculpture tag also covers places in Legnica, Świdnica, Kłodzko, Głogów, Sobótka, Kudowa-Zdrój, Duszniki-Zdrój and a few villages. Nearly all are free and stand in the open, so you can see them at any hour.
The range is wide. The oldest are stone figures from the Ślęża area, the youngest are installations and works from the 21st century. In between are baroque columns, bronze benches, monuments to poets and composers, and works that recall difficult events. Their mood depends on the subject, so memorial monuments are described plainly.
Along Świdnicka Street you will see two monuments. The Anonymous Passer-by monument is fourteen life-size bronze figures that vanish into and emerge from the pavement, one of the city symbols. Nearby stands the equestrian monument of Bolesław Chrobry, unveiled in 2007 as the first equestrian monument of postwar Wrocław.
On the Market Square, look at the south side: the monument to Aleksander Fredro by Leonard Marconi stands there. It was unveiled in Lviv in 1897 and has stood in Wrocław since 1956. Nearby, on the small Stare Jatki street, a group of animal sculptures recalls that butchers worked here from 1242. This is the monument in honour of slaughtered animals. Finally see The Chair: a nine-metre concrete sculpture by Tadeusz Kantor, designed in 1970 and built in 2011.
If you prefer more than a few entries, open sculptures in Wrocław, where objects are arranged by city.
A walk through greenery can become a small sculpture route. In Szczytnicki Park stands a reconstructed sculpture of Diana from 2015, recreating a monument lost in 1945. In Południowy Park in Borek you will find the Chopin monument by Jan Kucz, unveiled on 5 September 2004. In Juliusz Słowacki Park there is the poet's monument and a 1980 sculpture called Waiting, and in Copernicus Park a bronze Cupid on Pegasus by Theodor von Gosen from 1913.
On Ostrów Tumski, the Cathedral Island, you will find the statue of Our Lady with the Child from 1694, the oldest surviving monument in Wrocław. Nearby, on Kościelny Square, stands an eighteenth-century figure of St John of Nepomuk. In the Botanical Garden you will see the monument to Joseph von Eichendorff, unveiled in 2012 as a reconstruction of a work from 1911, and in the courtyard of the Ossolineum the monument to Angelus Silesius from 2007.
Some works are not decoration but a form of memory. Powodzianka on Kępa Mieszczańska commemorates the residents' fight against the 1997 flood. The Monument to the Victims of Stalinism near the Wrocław Opera, designed by Tadeusz Teller, was unveiled in 1989, and the monument on Oławska Street commemorates victims of the suppressed Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The Monument to the Murdered Lviv Professors at Grunwaldzki Square recalls the 1941 massacre.
The tone here differs from the park with Cupid. When planning a route, keep these places for a separate stretch and visit without hurry. The Monument to the Liberation of Wrocław, shaped like flames on Słowiański Hill and unveiled in May 1980, speaks of the city burning in 1945 and of its postwar pioneers.
The regional part of the list is just as interesting. In Świdnica, Maria Cunitz, an astronomer, sits on a bench on the market square, and the sculpture was unveiled in 2009 in front of the Museum of Old Merchandise. In Legnica on the Market Square, by the Gallery of Art, stands Julek, a boy with a huge school bag by Edward Mirowski. You can also see Chopin in Duszniki-Zdrój, in the Spa Park in front of the Spa Theatre.
The oldest sculptures lie at the foot of Ślęża. In Sobótka stands the Monk, a megalithic sculpture of Ślęża granite 2.5 to 2.7 metres tall, entered in the register of archaeological monuments. On the summit of Ślęża you will find the stone bear from the La Tène period, moved there in 1903.
In Kłodzko a replica of the pillory that stood on the square until 1793 has been rebuilt. In Bystrzyca Kłodzka stands a baroque Holy Trinity Column from 1736, and in Międzylesie a late baroque Marian column. In Chełmsko Śląskie, on the corner of a house at Rynek 4, you will see a Gothic sculpture of St Hedwig from about 1500. In Głogów there is a bench monument to Jan of Głogów, and in Kudowa-Zdrój a bronze gardener's bench. A curiosity is the carved beehives in Dworek.
For one evening choose central Wrocław: Świdnicka, the Market Square, Stare Jatki, The Chair. It is a route without transfers that you can walk. On the next day add the Train to the Sky, a vertically placed steam locomotive Ty2-1035 on Strzegomski Square unveiled in October 2010, and go on to the parks.
A trip outside the city works best around one centre: Sobótka with the Monk and Ślęża, or Kłodzko with the pillory and the columns nearby. Sculptures are also a good excuse for a solo walk: the hives in Dworek carry the Solo tag, and most other objects need no ticket or booking.
In the centre: along Świdnicka, on the Market Square, at Stare Jatki and around the City Moat. For parks choose Szczytnicki, Południowy and Słowacki.
No, all objects on this page carry the free tag, and the sculptures stand in public space.
Among old figures the stone bear on Ślęża from the La Tène period stands out. The oldest surviving monument in Wrocław itself is the statue of Our Lady from 1694.
Yes. You will find them in Świdnica, Legnica, Kłodzko, Sobótka, Głogów, Duszniki-Zdrój and Kudowa-Zdrój, among others.
Among others the Monument to the Victims of Stalinism, the Monument to the Murdered Lviv Professors, Powodzianka and the monument on Oławska Street dedicated to the victims of Tiananmen Square.
