Adam Mickiewicz Statue - Krakow - TravBuddy

The statue of Adam Mickiewicz on the main market square of Krakow, is a very common meeting place for people (along with the Mitoraj sideways head or Kościół Mariacki) also a common place for people to sit & rest, despite its being chained off.

Mickiewicz is often considered the greatest Polish Romantic poet of the 19th century. He has also been held as the second greatest Slavic poet (behind Pushkin of course).

“Litwo! Ojczyzno moja! ty jesteś jak zdrowie;
Ile cię trzeba cenić, ten tylko się dowie, Kto cię stracił.”

- from his epic poem 'Pan Tadeusz'... considered the Polish National poem. However note the first word “Litwo” which means Lithuania (or at least the vocative case for the word Lithuania - so something like “O, Lithuania!”). Of course Poland was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth back when 'Pan Tadeusz' was written, so it’s not quite as ironic as one would think.