Erection date: 18/5/2011
{On the front of the plinth:}
Fryderyk Chopin, 1810 - 1849.
'Simplicity is the highest goal achievable when you have overcome all difficulties.'
{On the left of the plinth:}
Unveiled by HRH the Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO on the 18th May 2011 in the presence of Her Excellency Ms Barbara Tuge-Erecinska, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in the United Kingdom, following restoration work by the Polish Heritage Society (UK).
{On the right of the plinth:}
This statue of Fryderyk Chopin by Bronislaw Kubica was a gift from the Polish nation in 1975 to thank the British people for their sacrifice in the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
'For your freedom and ours.'
{Inscribed on the lower right of the statue:}
1974 B. Kubica
The statue is said to contain an urn with earth from Chopin's birthplace in Poland.
Princess Alice unveiled the statue in 1975, and her son did the honours in 2011.
Site: Chopin statue (1 memorial)
SE1, Royal Festival Hall
First unveiled at the RFH on 26 February 1975, by the Duke’s mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, it was removed for safe keeping during building works in the mid 1980s, and lost.
It was found in 2010, after a long search. : reported: "Speaking to The Times, chairman of the Polish Heritage Society, Dr Marek Stella-Sawicki, said: ‘There were many of us looking for it, including the Polish Embassy, Lady Cholmondeley from the Chopin Society, a consultant for English Heritage.’ The piece was eventually found lying face-down in storage space under Waterloo Bridge."
Before it could be re-installed, it was sent to Poland and restored by the sculptor Robert Sobocinski. Its current location suggests to us that it is not a sculpture the RFH are particularly proud of.
2024: reported: "A 'remarkable' play about the lost statue of a great Polish composer took centre stage in the heart of Worcester. 'Rescuing Chopin' was performed at a packed Worcester Guildhall in the city's High Street on Saturday."
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