On 23 May 2023 at 11:30 a.m., the opening ceremony of the exhibition ‘Nicolaus Copernicus – life and work’ will take place at the building of the District Branch of the National Bank of Poland at 20 Basztowa Street in Kraków. It is co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Copernican Academy, and the National Bank of Poland is the main partner of the event.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition will be attended, among others, on the part of the organisers, by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Piotr Wawrzyk and the Secretary General of the Copernicus Academy Professor Krzysztof Górski, representatives of the Polish Sejm, the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as local and municipal authorities.

The exhibition will be presented in the form of display boards with reproductions of a number of unique artefacts highlighting various aspects of Copernicus’ life and legacy. Visitors will be able to see, among other things, stamps and medals issued by the Polish Post Office depicting Copernicus, portraits of him by artists from different periods, quotations from manuscripts and documents related to his work, monuments, as well as numerous materials illustrating the reception of his discoveries by his contemporaries. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to examine the non-astronomical activities of the Warmian canon, read about the most important events in his life and trace the stages of his ecclesiastical career.

The exhibition commemorates the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, the most influential astronomer in Polish history and one of the most important scientists in world history. Copernicus’ pioneering work made him a symbol of scientific discovery and progress.

The exhibition not only recalls Copernicus’ monumental achievements, but also shows him as a man who lived at a particular historical moment. Thanks to this event, visitors will be able to better understand both the scientific discoveries of the great astronomer and the context in which they were made. Once the exhibition has been presented to the Krakow public, it will be presented worldwide.