Frederic Chopin

Chopin was born in Poland, and wrote his first musical composition at age 7.  He left Poland for Paris at age 21 and there he built his reputation as a composer and pianist.   Almost all of his compositions are for Piano. His health began to fail shortly after his arrival in Paris.  He died at age 39, a victim of tuberculosis. Frederic Chopin was buried in Paris but, in accordance with his wishes, his heart was taken to Poland and placed in the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.

This plaque in Holy Cross Church marks the spot where Chopin's heart is buried.

In the late 1800's a movement began to honor Chopin with more than the plaque at Holy Cross Church.  It took more than 25 years for the larger monument to become a reality, and it was completed in 1925 only to be removed a few years later by the Germans when they occupied Warsaw.  It was reproduced at the same location after the war.

This monument to Chopin was originally built in 1926 at Lazienki, destroyed by the Germans during World War II, and rebuilt after the war.