Pomnik Jana Heweliusza, Gdańsk

Pomnik Jana Heweliusza is Jan Szczypka’s bronze monument to the Gdańsk astronomer Johannes Hevelius, unveiled on 28 January 2006. Notice the book across his lap and the huge sextant he works: Szczypka portrays Hevelius seated, with his attention turned toward the sky. Across the façade, a star-map mural makes the setting feel like an observatory; Szczypka made it in 2009 to create the impression that the astronomer is studying the heavens.

That scene reaches back to the 1640s, when Hevelius set up an observatory on the roofs of nearby Korzenna townhouses and began sustained observations in 1641. He was an astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker, and businessman. He also served Gdańsk as a councillor and mayor.

His landmark lunar study, Selenography, came out in 1647, with detailed Moon maps based on telescope work. He discovered four comets, watched seven in all, and rejected Kepler’s claim that comets travelled in straight paths. The sextant and book give you a vivid portrait of a local scholar whose work reached far beyond Gdańsk.