World’s First Wikipedia Monument Designed by Armenian Sculptor Unveiled in Poland

SLUBICE, POLAND — The world’s first monument dedicated to online encyclopedia Wikipedia was unveiled in the town of Slubice, on the German border, Wednesday, Polish Radio reports. The monument is designed by an Armenian sculptor Mihran Hakobyan from Karabakh.

Hakobyan, a 30-year-old Stepanakert-based sculptor, graduated from the Polish Studies for International Students at Collegium Polonicum in Slubice and was awarded the title of licencjat (BA). In 2012, in recognition for his work for the university and very good grades, he received the Kulczyk Family Fund scholarship. Since 2011, he has been working in the field of computer animation. He is the author of several animations, including plasticine animated films promoting Collegium Polonicum and Polish Studies for International Students. In 2013, he received the audience award for his animated film “Umbrella” presented at the Short Film Fund competition in Moscow.

The monument, which stands 2.5m high, consists of four people raising aloft a globe-shaped puzzle, the latter being the symbol of Wikipedia.

Consistent with the Wikipedia logo’s globe, the world is shown as being unfinished, ready to accept more knowledge.

Town authorities funded the monument, which cost 11,800 euro, following a proposal from Dr. Krzysztof Wojciechowski, administrative director of the college.

Wojciechowski argued that the sculpture was an appropriate symbol for the town, given that the college itself is a cross-border institution.

The Collegium Polonicum is jointly maintained by the Viadrina European University, which is based in Slubice’s sister city Frankurt (on the Oder) over the border in Germany, and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

The German and Polish branches of Wikipedia are among the most dynamic, with the German version the fourth largest (out of 287 languages), while the Polish version has the twelfth highest number of pages.