Piotr Triebler

Piotr Triebler (22 November 1898 – 31 March 1952), was a Polish sculptor whose works are associated with Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in general and with Bydgoszcz in particular.

Biography Period in Silesia under German Empire rule Piotr Triebler was born on 22 November 1898 in Ligota Bialska, Opole region, part of then Prussian Province of Silesia. He was the son of Edward, a farmer, and Wiktoria, née Kopetzka. His family had a strong attachment to Polish feelings: Edward actively supported the Polish vote in the Upper Silesia plebiscite (1921) and was active in the Union of Poles in Germany. His mother Wiktoria came from a Polish peasant family. Lastly, his older brother took part in the second and third Silesian Uprisings of 1920 and 1921.

Piotr, coming from a farming family, was supposed to be a locksmith. He even received his locksmith diploma when graduated from the local school in Ligota. Then, he studied sculpture from 1914 to 1917, at the workshop of Wiktor Joachimski in Zabrze. In 1917, he passed the journeyman exam. The same year he was drafted to the German Imperial Army and fought on the Western Front until November 1918, as a sapper. At the end of WWI, Piotr returned to Silesia and from there he moved to the territory of the Second Polish Republic.

Interwar period In 1920, he went to Poznań, and then settled to Bydgoszcz. In 1921, he enrolled in the National School of Arts and Crafts: under the guidance of Polish sculptors Jan Wysocki (pl) and Feliks Giecewicz (pl), he studied sculpture and medallic art and at school closure in 1923, he continued his studies at the State School of Decorative Arts in Poznań. In 1925, he graduated from sculpture and bronze department. From his schooling years, he was remembered and respected for his solid craftsmanship and a reliable attitude to realism.

The influences that left a mark on the artist's earlier works were mainly the influence of the art of Rodin and, above all, of Ivan Mestrowicz.

Most of his works were created in his workshop at 94 Dworcowa street in Bydgoszcz, ran together with Teodor Gajewski - a sculptor with similar artistic penchants. It was the only atelier of this kind in Poznań and Pomerania. There, they realized sculptures, tombstones in bronze, wood or marble.

During this period, he created mainly monuments and figural sculptures for religious buildings in Bydgoszcz. Nevertheless, he also produced busts, portraits, reliefs and numerous plaques.

Murder of Gabriela and Paweł Triebler (30 March 1960) Source: The bidding competition for the monument ranked Triebler second behind his colleague Teodor Gajewski, Teodor's brother Franciszek won the third prize; Monument to the fallen of the Greater Poland Insurgents in Inowrocław (non-existent Interior decoration of the church Saint Nicholas in Ludzisko (1935); Bust of Tadeusz Kościuszko in a medallion, placed on the facade of the building at 2 Królowej Jadwigi Street in Bydgoszcz; Busts of Józef Piłsudski (1936) and Edward Śmigły-Rydz (1938), placed in gymnasiums in Bydgoszcz; Monumental tombstone of Leon Wyczółkowski at the cemetery in Wtelno (1937). The monument was commissioned by the Artistic and Cultural Council in Bydgoszcz; Freedom Monument in Świecie unveiled on 1 May 1950. At the time, Triebler was paid 480 000 Polish złoty, an incongruous sum compared to the modest salaries under PRL era; Statue of Saint Louise de Marillac in Saint Vincent de Paul Basilica, Bydgoszcz; Statue of Mary in Cekcyn near Tuchola; Statue of the Jesus Christ in Rynarzewo near Bydgoszcz.