Nicolaus Copernicus was a famous Polish astronomer. He was born in 1473 in Toruń. He studied first in Cracow, then in Bologna, Padua and Ferrara in Italy. He was a true man of renesans. A lthough the main area of his work was astronomy and maths, he was also interested in law and economy and was a medicine doctor as well as a scientist. In this house in Toruń Nicolaus Copernicus was born in 1473.

In 1543, just before his death, Copernicus published the work of his life ”De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” (’On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres’). It introduced the theory of heliocentrism. Cathedral in Frombork – the place of Copernicus’ life and work.

Before Nicolaus Copernicus people believed that the Sun and other stars and planets rotate around the Earth. This view seemed consistent with Christian faith and was strongly supported by the catholic church.

Nicolaus Copernicus’ heliocentric theory stated that the Earth and other planets rotate around the Sun.

The works of Copernicus started a real revolution not only in astronomy and science, but also in philosophy and theology. It totally changed the way in which European people perceived the world and our place in it. Copernicus’ monument in Cracow

Author of the presentation: Marta Kaczmarzyk Tutor: Magdalena Szyszka-Stasiak Primary School No 2 in Gliwice, Poland This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.