Polish and Ukrainian artists created a Christmas nativity scene sculpted using only sand at the Oliwa City Hall of Culture in Gdańsk, resulting in the second-largest nativity scene made out of sand in the world.
The unusual nativity scene was built over 10 days and required the use of almost 70 tons of sand. The sculpture was designed by sculptress Ewa Topolan, a graduate from the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts.
“Recent years are exceptional, they change us, but also the entire world. Reprehensible things are happening, they should not have place in the modern world. Peace is becoming a value that is more important than anything else. That is why this year’s project of the crib refers to the idea of peace,” explained Topolan.
The official unveiling of the crib took place during an interfaith Oliwa Christmas Eve supper. It is an annual meeting of representatives and people of different faiths, who pray and dine together at one table.
The sculpture in Gdańsk is the largest sand crib in Poland and the second-largest in the world, following the famed nativity scene at the Vatican.
The attraction inspired by the biblical description of the nativity of Jesus can be viewed for three weeks, until Jan. 8, 2023.
