Nicolaus Copernicus Monument, Montreal, Bronze monument at Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, Montreal, Canada.

The Nicolaus Copernicus Monument is a bronze work beside the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium that depicts a scholar holding a celestial globe and gazing upward. The figure stands on a sturdy base, with the whole composition appearing thoughtful and commanding.

The work was created in 1966 as a reproduction of a celebrated sculpture from 1830 and made its debut during Montreal's Expo 67. This connection between a European artistic tradition and Montreal's world fair shaped the monument from its start.

The monument is a copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen's 1830 Warsaw statue, cast in bronze in Denmark in 1966 under Dyveke Helsted of the Thorvaldsen Museum. Copernicus is shown seated with a celestial globe and compasses, the attributes that identify him as an astronomer. The city acquired the work in 1968, a year after it stood at Expo 67.

The monument sits in the Space for Life complex next to the planetarium and is easy to reach on foot. The outdoor location means you can visit anytime, regardless of the operating hours of nearby buildings.

The bronze was cast in Denmark by Lauritz Rasmussen from posthumous plaster moulds, under the supervision of Dr. Dyveke Helsted, then director of the Thorvaldsen Museum. The City of Montreal acquired the statue in 1968, a year after it was inaugurated at Expo 67.