Apollo - the Copernican Solar System, stained glass window in Kraków, Poland

Apollo - the Copernican Solar System is a stained glass window in the stairwell of the Medical Society House at Radziwiłłowska 4 in Krakow. It shows Apollo bound and pressed down by a lyre, surrounded by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Earth, Luna and Venus. The design, based on a pastel by Stanisław Wyspiański, is read as a reference to Copernicus halting the Sun.

The window was designed by Stanisław Wyspiański for the Medical Society House at Radziwiłłowska 4, built in 1904 for Dr. Julian Nowak. Its theme changed from a planned figure of Copernicus to Apollo-Sun after the Medical Society merged with the Astronomical Society. The design follows Wyspiański's pastel of the same title, given to the National Museum in Kraków in 1946 by Nowak.

The window brings together ancient mythology and scientific observation, showing how artists of the early 1900s drew inspiration from astronomy. The connection between Apollo and the planetary arrangement reflects how people then wanted to express their knowledge of the cosmos through art.

The window is located inside the Medical Society House and can be viewed during the regular opening hours of the institution. The building sits in the heart of Krakow's old town and is easily accessible on foot.

The pastel behind the window is held by the National Museum in Kraków, which received it in 1946 as a gift from Dr. Julian Nowak. The design became one of Wyspiański's most reproduced works, printed in magazines, albums and on postage stamps. A 1970s reconstruction used much smaller glass pieces because good-quality glass was scarce.