Nierozpoznani

Nierozpoznani — "Unrecognised" — is an installation of 58 headless, armless cast-iron figures standing in Adam Mickiewicz Park, close to the Old Market Square. The work is by Magdalena Abakanowicz, one of Poland's most internationally significant sculptors, and it was installed here permanently in 2002 as a gift to the city.

The figures stand in loose groupings across a grassy area, all of roughly human height, their surfaces rough and individual despite being cast from similar moulds. Walking among them has a quietly disconcerting quality — the collective presence is strong, but each figure is also isolated. The park itself is pleasant, with mature trees and good views towards the Old Town. The figures are free to visit at any time.

things to do sight
A story
The sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz created the 58 headless, armless figures as a response to what she described as the "crowd" phenomenon of the 20th century — the way individual identity is submerged in mass movements. Abakanowicz herself was born in 1930 and grew up under first Nazi and then Soviet occupation; her work is shaped by that experience. The figures are cast iron, heavy and slightly rough, and they become more unsettling the closer you stand to them.