On the 550 anniversary of the birth of renowned Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, several Polish universities and the Polish Academy of Sciences organized the World Copernican Congress in Kraków, southern Poland. To talk about the achievements of Copernicus, TVP World invited Professor Bartosz Brożek from the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at the Jagiellonian University.

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According to the professor, Nicolaus Copernicus lives on through his works as a source of inspiration for many generations of scientists.

“It turns out that the sum of ‘Copernican insight’, his approach to some things, is still relevant for those current discussions [COVID-19, Russian invasion of Ukraine],” Brożek said.

He further stated that Copernicus only dabbled in astronomy as a side interest. “The main occupation of Copernicus was to be an administrator, he was a lawyer, he was a medic, indeed he wrote several treated in economics and he also did a lot of other things,” Brożek stressed.

The main purpose of the World Copernican Congress in Kraków, according to the event’s official website, “is to present the state of research on the life and activities of the great scientist and astronomer, as well as his impact on the development of science, culture and the arts.”

The organizers of the event were the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, and the Institute of the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences.