Hercules Fighting the Centaur

A sculpture showing a male figure fighting a centaur stands on the terrace in front of the Main Building of the National Museum on the Chrobry Embankment in Szczecin. Its author is Ludwig Manzel, and it was unveiled in 1916.

Ludwig Manzel's sculpture

The monument was funded by the Szczecin consul Kisker. It is made of sandstone in the form of classicising modernism, is 2.4 metres high and stands on a concrete plinth measuring 2.40 by 2.50 by 0.85 metres. It shows two figures locked in a struggle, dynamically portrayed: a centaur and a naked, muscular man.

Hercules or a Lapith

The identity of the fighting figure is not certain. According to one interpretation it is a scene of centauromachy, that is, a fight between a Lapith and a centaur, hence the sculpture's second title. Others see in it Hercules fighting a mythical monster. The sculpture is entered in the heritage register.

Practical information

• Location: the terrace in front of the Main Building of the National Museum.
• The sculpture stands on the Chrobry Embankment, so it is easy to combine with a walk along the terraces.
• The sculpture can be seen from outside, as part of a walk on the terrace.