Landmark
Panorama Racławicka
A painting 15 by 114 metres, made by Jan Styka and Wojciech Kossak for the centenary of the Kościuszko Uprising, shown in Lwów in 1894 and in Wrocław since 1985.
What it shows
The Battle of Racławice, fought on 4 April 1794 during the Kościuszko Uprising. The insurgent army under General Tadeusz Kościuszko won against Russian forces under General Aleksander Tormasov; the kosynierzy, troops armed with scythes, took part.
How it was made
The idea came from Jan Styka (1858–1925), a painter from Lwów, who invited Wojciech Kossak (1856–1942) to work with him; other artists assisted. They painted it in 1893 and 1894, for the 100th anniversary of the uprising. The canvas was woven to order in Brussels and the iron structure of the rotunda was made in Vienna; the rotunda, in Stryjski Park in Lwów, was ready in July 1893. The Panorama opened on 5 June 1894 at the General National Exhibition in Lwów.
The illusion of standing inside the battle rests on a special perspective, lighting, artificial terrain and a darkened, winding approach to the platform.
How it got here
From Lwów to Wrocław.
After the Second World War the painting was transported to Wrocław together with part of the Ossolineum collection from Lwów. For many years it was not shown to the public: its subject was inconvenient to the authorities of the Polish People's Republic, and efforts to restore and exhibit it were held up. After August 1980 a rotunda for it was approved in Wrocław, and the Panorama opened there on 14 June 1985.
Seeing it
The rotunda is at Jana Ewangelisty Purkyniego 11, a few minutes' walk from the Market Square.