Statue

Chopin statue

Erection date: 18/5/2011

Inscription

{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. Classical music: 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: Worcester News 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."

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Chopin statue

Subjects commemorated i

Frédéric Chopin

Composer. Born Zelazowa Wola, Poland of a French emigrant father and Polish m...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Chopin statue

Created by i

Polish Heritage Society

Exists to remember, record and propagate among the wider British public the c...

Read More

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

Born Montagu House, Whitehall. Married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 19...

Read More

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

Second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and inherited the title on his...

Read More

Bronislaw Kubica

Sculptor.  Polish. Active in 1974.

Read More

Barbara Tuge-Erecinska

Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in 2011.

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Robert Clayton statue

Robert Clayton statue

SE1, St Thomas's Hospital, Millennium Garden

The inscription is quite badly damaged but we found a transcription in a 1776 book on the history of London, which is, we believe, very c...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Queen Charlotte

Queen Charlotte

WC1, Queen Square

This square, the site of an ancient reservoir, was set out in 1716 on land owned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon and originally known as Devonshi...

3 subjects commemorated
John Hiccocks

John Hiccocks

EC4, Middle Temple, Falcon Court

Our Latin consultant, David Hopkins, didn’t find it easy to translate descriptions of a person’s character but it reads well to us. He ad...

1 subject commemorated
Isabella

Isabella

W1, St George Street, 6-7, Sotheby's

This identification of the statues on front of this building is only tentative, suggested by Ornamental Passions.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Temple Bar memorial - Edward VII

Temple Bar memorial - Edward VII

EC4, Fleet Street

The niche on the north face holds a marble statue of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, in Field Marshal's uniform. Carved in the sto...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator