OPOLE JUNO IN OPOLE

The contemporary bust of the Opole Juno, placed in Park Nadodrzański (Oder River Park) on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the granting of city rights to Opole, is a reconstruction of the famous sculpture, which until World War II, was placed in several corners of the city over the years. The original version of the bust was created to promote one of Opole's cement factories, owned by Grundmann, at the 1867 Paris World's Fair. It was a reproduction of a Roman marble statue, made of Opole cement and concrete.

It received an award at the World's Fair at the time and returned to Opole as a symbol of the quality of the Opole cement plant. Grundmann donated the sculpture to the city.

Initially, it stood opposite the post office building, then in the castle gardens, and in 1928 it was moved to its current location in Park Nadodrzański. However, the original, like many other German sculptures and monuments, did not survive World War II.

Only on the 800th anniversary of the granting of city rights was the sculpture reintroduced into the urban space. Today, we can admire this beautiful bust thanks to the cooperation of the city, the Odra Cement Plant, Professor Marian Molenda, and the authors of the sculpture – Ewa Dębicka and Bartosz Mazik, graduates of the Institute of Art at the University of Opole. As before, it adorns the Riverside Park and reminds us of the history of the cement industry in Opole.