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War delayed the project until after Poland had regained its independence in 1918. The monument designed by Wacław Szymanowski (1859-1930), won the competition in 1909. From the outset it was perceived as exceedingly controversial due to the very non-traditional form and expression of the monument. Szymanowski, the secessionist sculpture, depicts in bronze the composer in profile sitting under a windblown willow, listening to the sounds of naturę of his native Mazovia. The monument was unveiled on November 14, 1926. Its strong symbolism of the strength of the Polish spirit was the reason it was the first Polish monument blown up by the Germans on May 31, 1940. Reconstructing it after the war became a national obligation. This is described by a sentence engraved on its plinth on October 17, 1946: ‘The monument of Frederic Chopin, destroyed by the Germans on May 31, 1940, will be rebuilt by the Nation’. It was meticulously restored, based on copies and photos, and retumed to its place in 1948 confirming the conviction of Mickiewicz’s character, Wajdelot, which is also engraved on the plinth:

Fire will bite through painted history,

Treasures will be stolen by armed thieves,

Only a song will remain...

For morę than fifty years now, on summer Sundays, from May to September (at 12.00 and 4.00 p.m.), the musie of Chopin is played on a piano set up in front of the monument. The audience in the park and gardens, across the lawns, for an hour or morę, can listen and let themseWes be captivated by the beauty of the musie.

Text 5

The church was constructed at the end of the 17th century. Its principal architect was Józef Belotti with the facade and two towers the work of Józef and Jakub Fontana. There are two external staircases leading to the main entrance and a sculpture of Christ bearing his Cross before the main entry. The church has three naves and two levels. The crypts are on the lower level and numerous tombs and epitaphs of prominent people can be found on the upper level.

Text 6

This Baroque pałace raised on a vast brick support is generally known as the Ostrogski Castle. It houses the Frederic Chopin Museum. The building, designed by the eminent Tylman of Gameren, became the seat of the Musie Institute, and later the Conservatory in the mid 19th century. The Frederic Chopin Museum boasts the world’s largest collection of keepsakes belonging to the composer. These include compositions written in his own hand, letters, personal belongings and a piano on which Chopin composed towards the end of his life.