Walking around Vevey, one can find numerous forms commemorating the writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), who spent the last years of his life there. Among them is a monument by Gustav Zemla (b. 1931), professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, located in the garden of the Grand Hôtel du Lac (formerly Hôtel du Lac).

Historic location

The choice of location for the inauguration of the monument in the courtyard of the hotel was not coincidental, as Sienkiewicz worked and lived in this building, which had been in existence since 1868, between 1915 and 1916. His office window, the headquarters of the General Committee for Relief of War Victims in Poland, offered a view of the Alps and the lake. During his stay in Vevey, Sienkiewicz often received guests in the lounge overlooking the hotel garden.

Monument commemorating the writer

The monument, located in the hotel's inner courtyard, depicts Sienkiewicz wearing a frock coat and overcoat, sitting with his left hand resting on a bench and a book in his lap. The first Polish Nobel laureate has been portrayed realistically, with the features belonging to old age accentuated, his cheekbones and chin strongly emphasised. The wrinkles on his forehead are partially obscured by his falling hair. Attention is drawn to the writer's deep-set eyes, directed directly at the viewer. When working on the monument, Zemła used archival photographs of Sienkiewicz. The form of the sculpture has been modelled softly. Its flowing lines, reminiscent of Art Nouveau, harmonise with the vegetation surrounding the monument. The stone plinth bears the inscription: "Henryk Sienkiewicz 1846-1916". The dimensions of the bronze casting are 160 x 105 x 105 cm.

According to the poet's grandson, Juliusz Sienkiewicz, Zemla's hand was directly 'made' for creating likenesses of his grandfather. In addition to the Vevey realisation, Zemła made a number of portraits of Sienkiewicz, which can be admired, among others, in Warsaw's Lazienki Park, the Museum of Warsaw, Radziejowice and Kielce.

The monument in Vevey was unveiled by the writer's granddaughter, Maria Sienkiewicz, to mark the 160th anniversary of his birth and 90th anniversary of his death, on 25 November 2006. The inauguration of the monument was possible thanks to the cooperation of Polish and Swiss entities, including the Council for the Protection of Remembrance of Struggle and Martyrdom, the State Security Printing Works, the authorities of the city of Vevey and the owner of the hotel, as indicated by a plaque next to the sculpture. The collection was organised by the Social Committee for the Construction of the Monument to Henryk Sienkiewicz in Vevey, chaired by Jakub Siczek. The idea to build the statue was held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Lower House of the Swiss Parliament, Claude Janiak, and the Polish Ambassador in Bern, Janusz Niesyto. The unveiling ceremony of the statue was attended by, among others, the Secretary of the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Remembrance, Andrzej Przewoźnik, MP Halina Molka, Senator Adam Massalski and a representative of the city authorities, Madeleine Burnier.