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The Golden King
In 1561, a gilded statue of King Sigismund II Augustus, the reigning monarch of Poland, was placed atop the spire of the Gdańsk Main Town Hall. Over 2.5 kg of gold was used for gilding the statue, and the mechanism inside allowed it to rotate in the wind. The current statue is a reconstruction of the original sculpture, which was destroyed during the bombardment of Gdańsk in 1945. After the war, the tower of the town hall was rebuilt, and the reconstructed Sigismund II Augustus returned to its pinnacle. During the recent restoration of the statue, a Time Capsule was placed inside it. The capsule contains several items related to Gdańsk, including: the Gdańsk Taler – a commemorative coin issued for the 20th anniversary of the first free elections, the Culture Card – a library card with privileges in cultural institutions, a VIP Card for the Historical Museum of the City of Gdańsk, an Amber Passport, public transport tickets, a photo of the residents taken during the World Reunion of Gdańsk Citizens, a Gdańsk 2012 USB drive, and small gadgets prepared by the City Office.
Picture number (ID): 3156
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