Elephant Sculpture in the Warszewo District

A concrete sculpture of an elephant is located in the square between Poznańska and Szczecińska Streets in the center of the Warszewo district in Szczecin. The piece was created in 1934 by German sculptor Kurt Schwerdtfeger during his tenure as a sculpture instructor at the School of Arts and Crafts at what was then Grünhofer Markt (now Kilińskiego Square).

Originally, the figure was the central element of a fountain, with water spouting from the elephant’s raised trunk. The installation remained operational until the 1960s. After 1986, the fountain was filled in and transformed into a sandbox. In the following decades, the sculpture underwent several conservation efforts. The water installation was removed, and the elephant’s trunk was reshaped into a curved form.

In 2004, the entire square underwent comprehensive revitalization, and the sculpture was thoroughly reconstructed. During the conservation process, an error occurred in restoring the inscription on the pedestal. The original year of creation—1934—was mistakenly altered to 1903, due to misinterpretation of decorative elements in the inscription.

The sculptor, Kurt Schwerdtfeger, was associated with the Bauhaus movement. He studied philosophy and art history in Königsberg and Jena before continuing his education at the Bauhaus School in Weimar. In 1925, he moved to Szczecin, where he taught sculpture at the Kunstgewerschule. Among his students were notable sculptors such as Bernhardt Heiliger and Karlheinz Goedtke. During the Nazi era, his work was labeled “degenerate art,” which led to his dismissal from the institution and the destruction or removal of most of his works from museums.

Schwerdtfeger’s notable works in Szczecin also include the Bird Fountain in Różanka Park (currently a reconstruction) and a bas-relief of a ploughman on the Randolf family tomb at the Central Cemetery.