Description
An erratic boulder with the date 1812 engraved on the square near to Mikołaj Kopernik Str. commemorates the march of Napoleon's troops through Guben. The stone, which resembles a fang in its form, was placed on a low concrete plinth; the whole is complemented by a black granite plaque with the inscription "Stone / retrieved and secured / by / Zbigniew Pankiewicz / in 2008" (Pol. "Kamień / odnaleziony i zabezpieczony / przez / Zbigniewa Pankiewicza / w 2008 roku").
Today, it is the only preserved monument related to the Napoleonic era in Gubin.
Historical background
The stone was placed on Skwer Kopernika to commemorate the concentration of the Saxon army fighting alongside the Napoleonic army in 1812, just before marching on the Russian campaign. For the next two centuries it was located at Sommerfelder Str. (now Legnicka Str.) in a place where, according to some sources, a Saxon cannon drowned in the swamp.
In 2006, the Zbigniew Pankiewicz retrieved and secured the boulder against disappearance.
The exhibition was designed by Jolanta Kucharska shortly before her death. The idea of placing the boulder was realized by the Association of the Friends of the Gubin Region (Pol. Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Ziemi Gubińskiej) with the necessary help of the following companies: Decor Sklep Meblowy, PKM Wioletta and Zbigniew Poniatowscy and Agencja Reklamowa Art Grafik.
Information about the artists
Jolanta Kucharska was a teacher, photographer and artist from Gubin, involved in many cross-border artistic and educational projects.
Artwork review
Due to the fact that it is not an artwork, an artistic review cannot be written.
Skwer Kopernika, 66-620 Gubin, Poland
Stone from 1812 commemorating the march of Napoleonic troops through Guben
Retrieval of the stone: 2006
Exhibition on the public square: 2013
Height: approximately 1 m
Open 24/7
