The passageway leading from ul. Jagiellońska to the courtyard of the oldest University building now bears a commemorative plaque dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus and his time as a student in Kraków in the years 1491-1495. The event marked the end of the Kraków part of the celebrations of the World Copernican Congress.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by representatives of institutions that worked together to organise the World Copernican Congress: the Jagiellonian University, Kraków University of Economics and AGH University of Science and Technology as well as the local government.
'On 19 February, the World Copernican Congress - the initiative of three Polish universities: the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn along with the Polish Academy of Science Institute of History of Science - began in Toruń. It was the most important event of the Year of Nicolaus Copernicus and it featured a plethora of exhibitions and discussion panels', said JU Rector Prof. Jacek Popiel. He stressed that the unveiling of the plaque does not mean that no more thought will be devoted to the role of Nicolaus Copernicus in the history of Polish science, as the higher education institutions that co-organised the Congress have signed an agreement on establishing the International Centre for Copernican Research, which will serve to further investigate the subject.
The plaque is intended to serve as a clear reminder of Nicolaus Copernicus' presence in the history of the Jagiellonian University as its student. It aims to signify that it was here, within the walls of the faculty of liberal arts, that the great astronomer first embarked on his scientific journey.
