Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Kraków

3D Model (Photogrammetry)

Model made by: Kraków 3D – Photogrammetry Poland

A precise 3D digital model of the Adam Mickiewicz Monument, located on the eastern side of Kraków’s Main Market Square. This reconstruction was created using photogrammetry by the Atlas 3D / Kraków z nieba project team. The digital model allows visitors to examine the fine sculptural details of the monument from all angles—details that are normally only visible from a pedestrian’s perspective on the ground.

Technical Specification

Method: Photogrammetry (3D scan reconstructed from a comprehensive series of high-resolution ground-level and aerial drone photographs).

Optimization: The model mesh and texture maps have been optimized for smooth, seamless browser rendering while maintaining the realistic texture of the bronze figures and granite pedestal.

History and Curiosities

Designed by Teodor Rygier, this 10-meter-tall monument—affectionately dubbed “Adaś” by Kraków locals—is one of the city’s most iconic symbols and a favorite social meeting point. While it is hard to imagine the Market Square without it today, its creation was plagued by fierce controversies:

• A Posthumous Visit: Paradoxically, Adam Mickiewicz never visited Kraków during his lifetime. He arrived here only “posthumously” in 1890, when his remains were brought from Paris to be laid to rest in the crypts of Wawel Cathedral.
• A Festival of Scandals: The path leading to the monument’s unveiling in 1898 (marking the centenary of the poet’s birth) was riddled with artistic conflicts. Several competitions were organized, and committees repeatedly rejected designs from the greatest artists of the era, including a vision by Jan Matejko himself (which was publicly and mercilessly mocked in the press by writer Bolesław Prus).
• The Poet or a Chieftain?: When Teodor Rygier presented the final 1:1 scale model of the sculpture in the 1890s, another scandal erupted in Kraków. The artistic committee reportedly burst into laughter upon seeing the poorly arranged laurel wreath on the poet’s head, claiming that the great bard looked like… a Native American chieftain from the Wild West. The sculptor was forced to alter the head of Mickiewicz at his own expense.
• Wartime Destruction and Return: On August 17, 1940, the monument was ruthlessly destroyed and cut into pieces by German occupying forces. After the war, a decision was made to reconstruct it. This was made possible by an extraordinary stroke of luck—the original bronze elements were discovered at a scrapyard in Hamburg. The painstakingly reconstructed monument officially returned to the Market Square in 1955.

Anatomy of the Monument

The 3D model displays the complete structure of the monument. The figure of Adam Mickiewicz stands atop the highest granite pedestal. At the foot of the base, on lower tiers, sit four allegorical bronze figures facing the four corners of the world, symbolizing:

• The Motherland (facing Sienna Street),
• Valor (facing the Cloth Hall),
• Science/Learning (facing St. Adalbert’s Church),
• Poetry (facing St. Mary’s Basilica).