The “Archeress” once stood on Teatralny Square, in the plaza next to the now-defunct Municipal Theater, causing outrage among the more prudish residents of Bydgoszcz. Today, the intimate statue of “Łuczniczka,” elevated to the status of one of Bydgoszcz’s symbols, stands across from the Polish Theater in Jan Kochanowski Park.

The statue of a beautiful athlete (175 cm tall), with classical proportions, was one of the last works by the Berlin artist Ferdynand Lepcki (1866–1909), likely created in 1908. The statue, exhibited in Berlin and Munich, received favorable reviews. The residents of Bydgoszcz also had the opportunity to admire the sculpture when, in the spring of 1910, a miniature version of it was displayed at an exhibition in Bydgoszcz. It elicited such positive reactions that the idea arose to purchase a copy of the statue for the city. Ultimately, Louis Aronshon, a wealthy banker of Jewish descent, decided to purchase the original. And so he did. At the end of August 1910, “The Archer” arrived in Bydgoszcz, and on August 18, on her purchaser’s 60th birthday, it was ceremoniously unveiled to delight future generations of Bydgoszcz residents with its artistic form and beauty and to enchant tourists.

Fun fact: The original “Łuczniczka” sculpture is located in Bydgoszcz, but it is not the only one, as Berlin, Coburg, Heringsdorf, and Wilhelmshaven also boast copies of this outstanding work by F. Lepke. Meanwhile, in the 1930s, Poznań Mayor Cyryl Ratajski wanted to purchase the Bydgoszcz monument for his city.

Once it was erected in the city center, a battle began to move the “scandalous” figure to a less prominent location. However, all efforts to remove “The Archer” from Teatralny Square ended in failure, until its location was deemed unsuitable for the future Monument of Gratitude to the Heroes of the Red Army. That monument was not erected at the planned site on Teatralny Square, but in 1960, the “Archer” was moved to once again guard the sanctuary of Melpomene—the new theater—always ready to release an arrow.

The Archer Statue

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