The Bartolomeo Colleoni Monument in Warsaw

The Bartolomeo Colleoni Monument in Warsaw has a rich history, being a copy of the Venetian statue originally created for the Municipal Museum in Szczecin in 1913. The sculpture, a work by Verrocchio, served as the centerpiece of a collection of replicas of famous artworks in Szczecin. After the war, in 1947, the monument was gifted to Warsaw by the West Pomeranian Reconstruction Committee. After being transported to the capital in 1948 and cut into pieces, the statue was placed in the National Museum and later, for a time, in the Polish Army Museum, where its location became a matter of uncertainty. Ultimately, in July 1948, it was decided that the monument would stand in front of the Academy of Fine Arts, a decision that carried both architectural and cultural significance, linking the statue to art and education. In 1950, the statue was assembled and placed in the courtyard of the Czapski Palace. From then on, it became an integral part of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The monument was entered into the register of historical monuments in 1989, and efforts by Szczecin to reclaim it began in the 1980s. Finally, in 2001, the two cities signed an agreement under which Warsaw agreed to return the sculpture in exchange for a cast replica. In 2002, the Szczecin copy was displayed at Lotników Square in Szczecin, while a new bronze replica was installed in its original location in Warsaw. An interesting fact is that in 2004, the National Bank of Poland featured the image of the Warsaw statue on the reverse of a 200 złoty coin, commemorating the centenary of the Academy of Fine Arts. Culture, history, and architecture merge in this story, creating an incredibly important reference point for both Warsaw and Szczecin, as well as their residents.