The world's first monument in tribute to online encyclopedia Wikipedia was unveiled in the town of Slubice, on the German border, Wednesday.

The unveiling of the Wikipedia monument in Slubice, 22 October. Photo: PAP/Lech Muszynski

The monument, which stands 2.5m high, consists of four people raising aloft a globe-shaped puzzle, the latter being the symbol of Wikipedia.

The sculpture itself was created by Armenian-born Mihran Hakobjan (pictured below), who studied at Slubice's Collegium Polonicum.

Mihran Hakobjan. Photo: PAP/Lech Muszynski

Town authorities funded the monument, which cost 50,000 zloty (11,800 euro), following a proposal from Dr. Krzysztof Wojciechowski, administrative director of the college.

Wojciechowski argued that the sculpture was an appropriate symbol for the town, given that the college itself is a cross-border institution.

The Collegium Polonicum is jointly maintained by the Viadrina European University, which is based in Slubice's sister city Frankurt (on the Oder) over the border in Germany, and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

The German and Polish branches of Wikipedia are among the most dynamic, with the German version the fourth largest (out of 287 languages), while the Polish version has the twelfth highest number of pages. (nh)



Source: PAP