Nutshells will help the monument of Adam Mickiewicz – such news spread through Polish media in mid June. The monument regained its former glory after the renovation. It was the first thorough renovation in the last 20 years. The figure of Adam Mickiewicz, a famous Polish poet, was cleaned by means of specially prepared peanut shells. The renovation cost 78,000 zlotys (ca. €19,500).

Renovation and technical restoration of the monument was carried out by a consortium of two companies (Renovatorium from Cracow and Veridian from Warsaw) which won the tender. The workers had a lot of work because of run-offs produced by leaching of bronze. They also faced some small losses in stone and joints. Cleaning dirty stone elements and figures was carried out by means of compressed air technology with powdered peanut shells, like in case of Pomnik Grunwaldzki (Grunwald monument) where dark stains on stone elements of the base were removed by means of water vapour and chemicals (sandblasting was used only in some places).     

The monument of Adam Mickiewicz by Teodor Rygier was unveiled in 1898. On the high base there is a figure of the poet and at his feet there are figures which symbolise Fatherland, Courage and Poetry. On the base we can see a dedication: “To Adam Mickiewicz – the Nation”. Architectural decoration around the monument was designed by Tadeusz Stryjeński.