The revitalization of Freedom Square is slowly nearing completion, although work is still ongoing. On Tuesday, June 23, a statue of the Leica Photographer, created by sculptor Michał Kubiak, was unveiled in the area in front of the church. In the 1920s and 1930s, and later after World War II, Leica photographers roamed the streets, offering passers-by souvenir photographs.
The term “Leica Photographer” derives from Leica, the popular camera manufacturer of the time. Freedom Square was a particularly important location for these street photographers in Bydgoszcz, which is why the sculpture was erected there.
The initiative to create the monument came from the Fotografistka Foundation.
“Until recently, monuments were erected mainly to great figures: generals, distinguished personalities, Napoleon, and many others who shaped the great history of their countries and the world. Today, we have a sculpture of a Leica photographer, a street photographer who probably never imagined that he would be commemorated in such an exceptional way,” said Katarzyna Gębarowska, president of the foundation.
Speakers also emphasized that thanks to the work of street photographers, many photographs have survived, allowing present generations to see what the past looked like.
“These men, who walked around this square and photographed people, deserve to be remembered. They captured the spirit of the 1930s. Thanks to these chroniclers of their era, we can still look at black-and-white photographs showing everything that was happening in the city,” said Michał Kubiak, the sculptor behind the monument.
Michał Kubiak has created many other sculptures in Bydgoszcz, including the bench monument dedicated to the distinguished cryptologist Marian Rejewski.
Od 2009 roku związany z lokalnymi mediami. Specjalizuje się w tematach dotyczących infrastruktury, polityki regionalnej oraz funkcjonowaniu samorządów.
