For comparison: the total height of the Freedom Monument in Riga is 42.7 meters. The copper figure of the woman Milda at the top of the monument is 9 meters tall. However, let's return to Poland. The statue rises in the village of Konotopia, near Toruń, about 190 kilometers northwest of Warsaw. The figure was erected with funds from a private benefactor – 75-year-old businessman Roman Karkosik, one of the richest people in the country. Karkosik made his fortune in the automotive supply industry and is also one of the most well-known investors on the Polish stock market. The Polish architectural portal Architektura Murator estimated the construction cost at 23 million euros. Although the residents of Konotop primarily hope for an influx of tourists and pilgrims, the monument has also sparked criticism in Polish public discourse. Dominican monk Paweł Guziński called the statue "King Kong in a field." The clergyman stated on the air of "Radio Z" that the entire project is a kind of "dance around the golden calf" – an allusion to the biblical story of idolatry.
