A statue of Kazik installed in a park named after the Polish architect on Tran Phu Street, Hoi An City (Photo: VNA) Quang Nam (VNA) - The people of Vietnam in general and Hoi An residents in particular will never forget the priceless contributions made by Polish archaeologist and architect Kazimierz Kwiatkowski, known as ‘Kazik’, to restoring the ancient town, My Son Sanctuary and Complex of Hue Monuments.
Addressing a meeting held in Hoi An on March 17 to mark Kazik’s 20th death anniversary, local sculptor Pham Hong also said that the Polish architect’s work was crucial to the cultural sites and the city being recognised by UNESCO has World Heritage sites.
Hong built a 2.5m tall statue of Kazik that stands at 138 Tran Phu Street.
Polish Ambassadress Barbara Szymanowska said, “We are also proud that ‘Kazik’, a Polish citizen, was involved in restoring Hoi An as a World Heritage recognised by UNESCO.”
On the occasion, Polish writer Jacek Zygmunt Matuszak introduced a book, “Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (1944-1997) – Memory of a special man.”
He said ‘Kazik’ was even more well-known in Vietnam rather than in Poland. It was very hard to find an article about the works and life of Kazik, so the Polish embassy took the initiative to publish the book, he said.
“I hope that the book will help us remember him (Kazik), and his contribution to restoration of world heritages as well as the friendship between Vietnam and Poland,” he said, adding that the 187-page book is being published in Vietnamese, Polish and English.
The Polish architect lived in Vietnam for 16 years.
A memorial ceremony was held in Hue on March 19.-VNA
