Statue of an Organ Grinder, Tarnów
Plac gen. J. Bema, 33-100 Tarnów
Tourist region: Tarnów i okolice
Before the war in Tarnów, the organ grinder played in various parts of the city, but it is said that the spot where the sculpture now stands is the place he liked the best. Documents and old postcards confirm this. Before the war, the residents of the houses in the vicinity of the marketplace repeatedly asked the city authorities to remove or limit the number of organ grinders who favoured the then Ducha Świętego Square, now Bema Square, as the venue for their daily performances. Local and touring artists played here. The organ grinders are gone today, and the symbolic monument evokes sentiment and attracts tourists. The statue, cast in bronze in a beautiful golden colour, depicts a man in a characteristic pose with a parrot on his shoulder and a barrel organ in his hands, with images of Tarnów landmark buildings: City Hall, the cathedral and the bimah. The sculpture is 2.3 metres high and is by Kielce-based sculptor Arkadiusz Latos. The Tarnów organ grinder plays a musical tune.