The Fisher Lad Sculpture in Sopot

The Fisher Lad sculpture in Sopot, standing at 240 cm, depicts a young man carrying a basket full of fish on his head. It is a replica of a 19th-century statue of unknown authorship, which stood in a garden near Sopot’s main train station until 1998. A replica now occupies this spot, while the original has been moved to the Sopot City Council meeting hall. The statue’s history dates back to the early 20th century when it decorated the garden of a tenement on Dworcowa Street (formerly Kastanienallee). Made of stoneware and painted to imitate terracotta, the statue embodies Italian Renaissance elements, inspired by the fascination German architects of that period had with Italian style. The choice of the young fisherman figure as a garden decoration may have been influenced by its owner, Otto Rabe, a landscape painter from Königsberg who had settled in Sopot at the end of his life. The popularity of the Fisher Lad sculpture comes not only from its aesthetics but also from its historical significance. An original version of this statue is located in the orangery of the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, which added to its prestige and sparked high interest among art enthusiasts, especially when all items associated with the German imperial family were highly valued.