POLAND: Replica of the Christopher Columbus' flagship Santa Maria being built in Polish museum gardens in Puszczykowo

Record ID: 190382

  • Title: POLAND: Replica of the Christopher Columbus' flagship Santa Maria being built in Polish museum gardens in Puszczykowo
  • Date: 7th July 2006
  • Summary: ARKADY RADOSLAW FIEDLER ON LADDER WORKING ON SHIP FIEDLER PUTTING A WOODEN SECTION OF THE SHIP IN PLACE
  • Embargoed: 22nd July 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Poland
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,History
  • Reuters ID: LVAEBFTM36YEX2E7UEJOOM2KA2ND
  • Story Text: Seven centuries ago Christopher Columbus sailed the seas to a new continent on his ship, the Santa Maria. But now, it is being recreated in a Polish museum gardens in Puszczykowo, near Poznan.
    Polish parliamentarian and Iberian enthusiast Arkady Radoslaw Fiedler is building a full-size replica ship as a part of a project called "Gardens of Tolerance", where symbols of different cultures are displayed, among them a life-size replica of a face from Easter Island, and the Bamiyan Buddha from Afghanistan destroyed by the Taliban regime in 2001.
    Fiedler says that the idea of building the replica ship stemmed from his fascination with the Iberian culture.
    He hopes the new Santa Maria in Puszczykowo will become a symbol of strength and will help promote more attention in Poland to historic as well as contemporary Spain.
    Fiedler says the Columbus epoch changed world history and led humanity towards a new path of cultural and political transformation.
    "Here, in the tolerance gardens, where many young people visit us, Santa Maria is the symbol of overcoming weakness and faith in doing it. In my opinion Santa Maria is simply a beautiful ship, too," Fiedler said.
    The building of the ship started two years ago and is planned to finish in summer 2007. The ship when built will be 20 metres long, 6 metres wide and high and made from five different woods. But it will not be seaworthy.
    The museum also includes many original exhibits from North and South America, Africa and Asia collected by his Fiedler's father, Arkady Fiedler a famous Polish traveller and author during his numerous expeditions.
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