In the Polish village of Konotop, located between Lipno and Torun in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, a statue of the Virgin Mary is being erected to a height of 55.6 meters. When completed — expected in mid-2026 — it will become Europe's highest Marian monument and will surpass the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro (38.5 m including the pedestal) and Christ the King in the Polish town of Świebodzin (52.5 m including the mound).
Who is paying and why
The project was initiated and financed by Roman and Grażyna Karkosik. According to Forbes, Roman Karkosik's wealth amounts to approximately $1.1 billion — he is the founder and principal shareholder of the industrial conglomerate Boryszew, which specializes in metalworking and automotive components. According to the initiators, the monument is conceived as a votive offering — a personal devotional gift rather than a commercial object.
The statue (40.6 m) is being installed on a 15-meter pedestal in the shape of a crown, where an observation platform will be arranged with a view of the lakes and forests of the Dobrzyń region. Local authorities learned of the plans in 2023 — for the residents themselves, as reported by village head Mieczysław Grebicki, the construction came as a surprise, although most received it positively.
The location is no accident
Near the construction site is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows in Konotop — an ancient pilgrimage site, known for its miraculous statue of Mary that has attracted pilgrims from throughout the Dobrzyń region for years. The monument will become a natural extension of the religious significance of this location.
«We hope that tourists and pilgrims will come to us and at the same time see what a beautiful region we have»
— Gmina head Aneta Gołębiowska
The economics of pilgrimage: there is precedent
Religious tourism in Poland is not an abstraction. Jasna Góra in Częstochowa receives millions of visitors from dozens of countries annually: in 2003, the sanctuary was visited by 4 million pilgrims from 80 countries. The local authorities of Konotop are directly counting on a similar effect — hotels, gastronomy, souvenirs — for a region that currently remains outside tourist routes.
However, Poland cannot win the competition in the category of "world's highest Virgin Mary statue": the Philippines already has the "Mother of All Asia" monument standing at approximately 100 meters tall. The Polish statue claims only the European record.
The ceremonial opening is scheduled for August 15, 2025 — the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, which in Poland is simultaneously a state holiday and Polish Armed Forces Day. Full completion of all work is expected in mid-2026.
If Konotop truly attracts a steady stream of pilgrims, this will be the first test of whether a billionaire's private religious investment can transform a depressed rural area into a self-sufficient tourist cluster — without any state development program.
