Following the Path of Nicolaus Copernicus – Frombork

Frombork

On October 15–16, 2025, the Nicolaus Copernicus Academy completed the second stage of its project “Following the Path of Nicolaus Copernicus” The second stop took place in Frombork, the city where Copernicus spent a significant part of his life as a canon of the Warmian Cathedral Chapter. He carried out his duties at the residence, participated in Officium Divinum, and held numerous administrative and ecclesiastical responsibilities.

As Jagoda Semków, curator and Head of the Documentation Department at the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork, emphasized, Copernicus combined many roles at once:
“On behalf of the chapter in the first quarter of the 16th century, as general administrator of the Warmian bishopric, he managed the diocese and Warmian dominion for several months, served as commissioner of Warmia, and was even listed among four candidates for the bishopric of Warmia.”[1]

Frombork was also the place where Copernicus conducted astronomical observations and wrote his most important work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, in which he described the heliocentric structure of the universe.

[1] T. Pawluk, Warmińska Kapituła Katedralna a Mikołaj Kopernik, Prawo Kanoniczne: kwartalnik prawno-historyczny, no. 17/3–4, 1974, p. 15.

Visits and Meetings

During the two-day visit, the Academy’s delegation met with key institutions in Frombork:

Frombork City and Commune Office, where the delegation met local authorities and leaders involved in promoting Copernicus’s heritage.
Mikołaj Kopernik School, welcomed by Principal Sylwia Mechlińska.
Nicolaus Copernicus Museum, hosted by Director Anna Zienkiewicz and guided by Deputy Director Dr. Michał Górny and curator Jagoda Semków.
Frombork Historical Monument Museum – Cathedral Complex, led by Fr. Dr. Jacek Wojtkowski, Director of the site.

Lecture Session

On the second day, the Academy held a lecture session in the exhibition hall of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum. The program included three presentations aimed at youth, members of the University of the Third Age, and local residents. The event drew a full audience, with participants actively engaging with the scientific presentations.

The joint effort by the Academy and Frombork institutions provided an opportunity to reflect on the development of space science and the participation of Polish researchers in international space exploration projects. The session also highlighted the history of the search for Copernicus’ grave and his ceremonial reburial in 2010.

Donations and Cooperation

As part of the project, the Academy presented Deputy Mayor Barbara Chomacka with reprints of two of Copernicus’s works—On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres and Treatise on Coinage. These publications enriched the collections of local educational and museum institutions, reaching both Frombork museums and the Mikołaj Kopernik Primary School.

The school also received two sets of the exhibition ,,Nicolaus Copernicus: A Pilgrimage to the Stars”, consisting of eleven roll-up panels in Polish and English. The exhibition supports educational and outreach efforts, helping teach about the life and achievements of the great scientist.

On the same day, the Academy and the City of Frombork formalized their partnership. Prof. Krzysztof M. Górski, Acting Secretary General of the Nicolaus Copernicus Academy and Mayor Damian Krasiński signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in scientific, educational, and outreach activities. The MOU affirms the shared mission of both institutions to promote knowledge about Copernicus and develop initiatives highlighting Polish science and cultural heritage. The city organizes numerous events throughout the year celebrating Copernicus, and the Academy will actively participate in these projects.

The first joint initiative under the MOU was a lecture session featuring two Academy members and the curator of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork.

Shared Goals

The “Following the Path of Nicolaus Copernicus”project, launched by the Nicolaus Copernicus Academy in May 2025, provides a platform for scientists and educators to connect and share knowledge about Copernicus. By promoting his legacy, the Academy seeks to build bridges between the scientific community and local communities.

We invite you to join the next stops along the Copernicus trail!

Lecture Session

Not Just an Astronomer – Who Nicolaus Copernicus Really Was

On October 16, Ms. Anna Zienkiewicz, Director of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork, opened the meeting. The lecture session featured two astronomy professors from the Copernican Academy and a museum representative. The talks, aimed at a general audience, focused on Copernicus not only in the context of contemporary astronomy but also on the museum’s research into his grave and reburial. Dr. Michał Górny moderated the session.

The Mayor of Frombork, Mr. Damian Krasiński, gave the opening remarks, emphasizing the enduring significance of Copernicus’s legacy for modern science:

St. Spirit Hospital in Frombork

Museum of the History of Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus Museum

Located in the eastern part of Frombork, St. Spirit Hospital stands out alongside the Cathedral Hill complex as one of the city’s most remarkable and valuable historical buildings. Founded by the Warmian chapter as a shelter for the sick, poor, and elderly residents, the hospital symbolized centuries of care for those unable to care for themselves. The hospital building, together with the Gothic Chapel of St. Anne, dates back to the first half of the 15th century and remains the only hospital monument in Poland to preserve its original form since the early 17th century.

Nicolaus Copernicus also left his mark on this place, practicing medicine here and treating both church dignitaries and local residents of Frombork. Today, the building functions as a museum, preserving the tradition of medical knowledge.