her formal name was Czesława Gospodarek, and her maiden name was Cieślak. She was born on June 10, 1938 in Belgium – she was baptized Violetta Élisa and registered in the office as Czesława Maria. Together with her family, she moved to Poland 10 years later. They settled in Lewin Kłodzki, where the singer began her musical education – later honed her skills in Wrocław, Szczecin and Warsaw with Eugenia Falkowska. The star lived in Lewin Kłodzki until the end of her life and her monument was unveiled there. The ceremony was organized on the 85th anniversary of her birth.
They unveiled the statue of Villas for 100,000. The artist’s son did not appear
The civic association “Kulturalny Zakątek” operating in Lewin Kłodzki decided to collect funds to commemorate Violleta Villas in her hometown. “It was a big challenge, because contrary to appearances, there were not many willing to support us financially. Violetta’s fans, however, did not disappoint. In total, the monument cost PLN 96,000, because during the implementation the price of bronze increased by PLN 6,000. There was a fight to the end for every penny, but we made it,” the president of the association told “Fact”.
As part of the initiative, a competition was announced to select contractors – the project was taken care of by Piotr Makała from Wytwórnia Rzeźby and Brygida Bijata from the Artshop studio in Kłodzko. They created the monument for three months. The pedestal is made of bronze – it measures about 170 cm and weighs about a quarter of a ton.
The monument was erected almost in the center of Lewin – it is located on the square at Obrońców Warszawy Street. On June 10, a ceremony of unveiling the sculpture was organized, for which, among others, Dr. Villas friend, Barbara Szymańska. Representatives of the local authorities, the parish priest and journalists were present. The only son of Violetta Villas, Krzysztof Gospodarek, did not appear on the spot. A few months before the ceremony, he told Fakt:
There are people who think they have more rights than me in deciding about her legacy and the memory of my mother. The culture requires at least consulting with me. Anyone can say they want to sculpt Violetta Villas, but it can’t be that my mother’s statue is being built and I have nothing to say.
He stressed that he was not consulted on the project and that the sculpture itself is not of high quality. She alleges that the image does not even resemble Violetta Villas, and worse, no one took into account that roses were not the singer’s favorite flowers – and this flower was just placed in the monument project.
Violetta Villas statue. She criticizes harshly
Dorota Rabczewska also spoke on the matter. she recorded a special one in which she pointed out that no matter how beautiful, expensive or successful the monument was, in her opinion, erecting it is an empty gesture:
I have to tell you one important thing. No monuments, no named streets, no amazing decorations after death, no one cares, really. Artists want to be appreciated in their lifetime. Especially in the case of Violetta Villas, when no one intervened at all, and in the last years of her life everyone knew what a tragic situation she was in.
– It is with this monument that only the remorse of the living can be calmed down. Really, let’s appreciate people while they’re alive, let’s help artists while they’re alive, because the dead don’t know they’re dead. Just like a stupid person doesn’t know he’s stupid.
photo dodaqueen / instagram
Violetta Villas. A talent unique in the world and a sad death
Violetta Villas was one of the most charismatic singers of the Polish stage. Endowed with absolute pitch and an extremely strong voice – at its peak, her range exceeded four and a half octaves, which is a rare phenomenon even among opera singers – she also had a colorful image. Thanks to a lush storm of long blonde curls and a passion for glamorous creations, she entered the annals as a real diva. The extremely musical artist also played the piano, violin and trombone, and sang in 10 languages: Polish, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Neapolitan and Latin.
At the end of her life, the artist devoted herself to charity and was particularly devoted to caring for abandoned animals. In 2006, Villas began psychiatric treatment, and later chose her patron Zbigniew and a new manager, Andrzej Sikora, as her guardians. In 2007, a scandal broke out when “Superwizjer” showed the material “Earn on the Star”, in which it was suggested that the lawyer and manager were financially exploiting the artist they had hidden from the media. They were also not to carry out the promised repairs to her family home, but instead demanded money for the opportunity to contact Villas. In 2008, Villas returned to Lewin Kłodzki. In the following years, it was reported that her new babysitter, the current housekeeper, isolates the star from the world. As a result of the subsequent investigation, it was indicated that the babysitter had mentally abused the singer and she was charged with failing to help.
Violetta Villas unfortunately died at the mercy of a dishonest babysitter. For years, no one realized that the singer lived in neglect, and her death was very painful. In 2019, the press reported the results of the autopsy. One of the ambulance doctors told Gazeta Wyborcza: “The room was cold and dirty, there was a smell of urine. The deceased lay in an unnatural position at attention. She was dirty.” An autopsy showed the presence of hematomas, bedsores and malnutrition. Doctors said that before the singer died, she lay helpless in agony for several hours.
“It’s been 12 years since Violetta Villas’ death and no one has commemorated her anywhere. It’s high time to do it because she deserved it. In fact, our ‘Violetta Villas Memorial Room’ in Lewin and this monument are the only places that commemorate this great artist We do not do it for profit, we just want to honor her “- in an interview with “Fact” the president of the “Cultural Corner” association
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
