Standing in front of the Staszic Palace, which houses the Polish Academy of Sciences, is this 1830 bronze statue of the great astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik (1473–1543). Better known outside Poland as Nicolaus Copernicus, he proved conclusively that the earth revolves around the sun.
The Latin inscription on one side translates as 'A grateful nation honours Mikołaj Kopernik', and the Polish inscription on the other side says 'To Mikołaj Kopernik from his countrymen'.