It is a gift from the Polish embassy in Brazil to mark the bicentenary of that country’s independence.
In a statement for the Polish Press Agency (PAP), Poland’s ambassador to Brazil, Jakub Skiba, said: ”We hope that the bench, featuring a button which, when pressed, releases a clip of Chopin’s beautiful, immortal music, will prove an attraction for visitors to the botanical gardens and help promote Poland and its culture. It is also a gesture honouring the Polish community in Brazil."
The bench is not the first Chopin landmark in Rio de Janeiro. A bronze statue of the Polish composer stands at the foot of the city’s Sugarloaf Mountain. The work of Polish sculptor August Zamoyski, the statue was unveiled on September 1, 1944, the fifth anniversary of the German invasion of Poland.
The Botanical Gardens are one of Rio de Janeiro’s major tourist attractions and one of the world’s largest sites of their kind.
Opened in 1822, the site was included in the list of UNESCO's Biosphere Reserves in 1992. It is visited by more than 2 million people annually.
The Chopin bench in Rio de Janeiro is modelled on those in Warsaw, of which there are 15. They are located in places connected to the composer and highlight his links with the Polish capital.
The independence of Brazil was proclaimed on September 7, 1822, by Prince Regent Dom Pedro, the eldest son of King John VI of Portugal. The proclamation ended 322 years of Portuguese rule.
(mk/gs)