English Section
Polskie Radio English Section Culture

World Copernican Congress begins in Poland’s Toruń

20.02.2023 10:00
The World Copernican Congress, an international event to mark 550 years since the birth of the famous Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, began in Poland’s northern city of Toruń on Sunday.
Audio
The World Copernican Congress, an international event to mark 550 years since the birth of the famous Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, began in Polands northern city of Toruń on Sunday, February 19.
The World Copernican Congress, an international event to mark 550 years since the birth of the famous Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, began in Poland’s northern city of Toruń on Sunday, February 19.PAP/Tytus Żmijewski

The day marked the anniversary of Copernicus’ birth on February 19, 1473 and also Nicolaus Copernicus University Day, organisers said. 

The World Copernican Congress seeks “to present the state of research on the life and activities of the great scientist and astronomer, as well as his impact on the development of science, culture and the arts,” according to officials.

Copernican Academy

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda issued a letter to the participants, announcing the creation of a new, international and interdisciplinary Copernican Academy.  

Scholars from Poland and abroad received appointments to join the new scientific body, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported. 

The Polish president wrote to the scientists: “The mission of the Copernican Academy is ambitious and wide-sweeping. Its actual influence on the prospects for the development of science, on whether the various scientific disciplines in Poland will be among the best in the world, bringing incalculable benefits to our homeland, will depend on your commitment.”  

The Copernican Academy is set to bring together 120 Polish and foreign scholars in such fields as astronomy, mathematics, natural sciences, medical sciences, economic and management theory, law, philosophy, theology  and medical sciences, Poland’s Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek told reporters.

“These are absolutely outstanding individuals from around the world,” including the United States, France and Britain, Czarnek said.

The three-day World Copernican Congress continues on Monday with lectures and debates featuring guest scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, the IAR news agency reported.  

Copernicus’ birth anniversary celebrated in Frombork

Meanwhile, Sunday also saw a number of commemorative events in the northern town of Frombork, where Copernicus is buried, according to officials.  

State broadcaster TVP unveiled Foucault’s Pendulum, a device originally presented in 1851 that provides direct evidence of the Earth’s rotation, as posited by Copernicus, according to experts.

A religious service was also held at Frombork Cathedral, where Copernicus' remains are interred, and a new exhibition, entitled Copernicus in Contemporary Graphic Art, opened at the local Nicolaus Copernicus Museum, the IAR news agency reported.  

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, copernicus2023.com/en/

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland’s Agnieszka Bielawska.