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Wikipedia Monument unveiled in Poland
- *Monument in Słubice, Poland honors free knowledge and human
collaboration*
Wikimedians -- the editors, creators, and contributors behind the free
encyclopedia Wikipedia -- were honored today with the unveiling of a
monument in Słubice, Poland. The monument, which is the first of its kind,
is a celebration of the power of free knowledge and human collaboration.
The monument, designed by Armenian sculptor Mihran Hakobyan, depicts the
Wikipedia globe held aloft by four figures. As in the original, the
Wikipedia globe remains unfinished, as a testament to the ever-expanding
realm of human knowledge. The idea to create a monument came from Dr.
Krzysztof Wojciechowski, the director of Collegium Polonicum, and was
brought to fruition through the support of Tomasz Ciszewicz, the mayor of
Słubice.
"On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation, thank you for this remarkable
recognition. We hope this will be an enduring reminder of the importance of
free knowledge. It is humbling for all of us to be a part of something so
much larger than any one person." said Lila Tretikov, Executive Director,
Wikimedia Foundation.
Wikipedia is the largest collection of free knowledge ever assembled,
including more than 33 million articles in 287 languages. Together,
Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects are the world’s 5th most visited
website, with nearly half a billion monthly visitors and roughly 80,000
active volunteers contributing every month.
“When Wikipedia started back in 2001 I have to say that I never imagined a
day when Wikipedia would be honored with a monument - we write about them,
we photograph them with our Wiki Loves Monuments competition, and now we
have a monument of our own. It is a truly special and exciting day, and one
that I hope shines the spotlight on the thousands of Wikimedians who edit
Wikipedia and make it the source of free knowledge it has come to be. I
look forward to visiting Słubice one day to see the monument for myself and
perhaps meeting some of those involved in the project.” said Jimmy Wales,
founder of Wikipedia.
Guests attending the unveiling ceremony included representatives of
Wikimedia Poland, Wikimedia Deutschland, and the Wikimedia Foundation, the
non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
https://wikimediafoundation.org
https://blog.wikimedia.org
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Across its 287 language versions,
Wikipedia contains more than 33 million articles. Every month, roughly
80,000 active volunteers contribute to Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia
projects. According to comScore Media Metrix, the projects operated by the
Wikimedia Foundation receive 413 million unique visitors per month on
desktop alone, making them the fifth-most popular web property worldwide
(July 2014). Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation
is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations
and grants.
Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact
Katherine Maher
+1 415-839-6885 ext 6633katherine(a)wikimedia.org
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