On 6 May 2025, a lecture session inaugurating the project “Along the Trail of Nicolaus Copernicus” was held at the Lidzbarsk Cultural Centre. The event was organised by the Akademia Kopernikańska in cooperation with the City Hall of Lidzbark Warmiński and the Museum of the Castle of the Warmian Bishops.
Lidzbark—where Nicolaus Copernicus spent ten years after obtaining his doctorate in canon law—became the first stop on this intellectual route linking cities closely associated with his life and work: Toruń, Frombork, Olsztyn and Kraków.
Under the shared title “Not Only an Astronomer – Who Was Nicolaus Copernicus Really?” four lectures were delivered, highlighting the remarkable versatility of this outstanding scholar. The opening address was given by the Mayor of the city, Mr Jacek Wiśniowski.
Damian Zawada, Assistant Professor at the Museum of Warmia and Mazury and an archaeologist, spoke about the Lidzbark Castle as a space that still “remembers” the scholar.
Dr hab. Mariusz Andrzejewski of the Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie presented Copernicus as an economist, discussing his contribution to monetary reform and the tariff system. In the form of a short competition, he rewarded one of the students with a banknote bearing the image of Copernicus for quickly calculating the difference in years between the scholar’s birth and the granting of municipal rights to Lidzbark.
Lecture: “Nicolaus Copernicus as a Pioneer of Monetary Policy” by Dr hab. Mariusz Andrzejewski, Professor of UEK – DOWNLOAD
Prof. Andrzej Rynkiewicz, MD, PhD, a cardiologist and lecturer at the School of Medicine in Olsztyn, presented Copernicus as a physician, administrator, and clergyman. Particularly compelling were his reflections on how medicine of that era intertwined with astrology and the spiritual dimension of healing.
Lecture: “The Many Faces of Nicolaus Copernicus as a Physician in Warmia” by Prof. Andrzej Rynkiewicz – DOWNLOAD
The session concluded with a remote presentation by Prof. Krzysztof Marian Górski, an astronomer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, who spoke about the contemporary Copernican legacy in research on the universe. Participants also viewed short films showcasing the work of NASA research teams.
Lecture: “Copernicus’s Universe and the Universe Today” by Prof. Krzysztof M. Górski – DOWNLOAD
The event in Lidzbark Warmiński marked the first stage of the Copernican Academy’s lecture tour. The aim of the project is not only to recall the figure of the scholar, but above all to demonstrate the continuing relevance of his legacy—in science, economics, medicine, and twenty-first-century technologies. The initiative is open and intergenerational in character, bringing together academic communities, teachers, students, and seniors, and inviting reflection on how the modern world continues to draw upon Copernicus’s achievements—not only as an astronomer, but also as a humanist, thinker, and Renaissance man.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks for organisational and logistical support to:
Mr Paweł Sadowski, Head of the Promotion and Cooperation Department at the City Hall of Lidzbark Warmiński;
Ms Jolanta Adamczyk, President of the University of the Third Age;
Mr Łukasz Szymański, Deputy Director of the Lidzbarsk Cultural Centre;
and Ms Katarzyna Radulewicz, Director of the Lidzbarsk Cultural Centre.
