On 13 February 1897 the Głos magazine published an article promoting the idea of building the monument.

Writer Henryk Sienkiewicz helped to raise awareness among the Warsaw intelligentsia, and by his effort, the Russian authorities permitted the construction of the monument.

The financial support was quickly raised, and the work was assigned to renowned Polish sculptor Cyprian Godebski.

[3] The statue shows Mickiewicz standing tall, with his head slightly raised and his right hand laid upon his heart.

While initially planned to be very large, the ceremony was scaled back as Tsarist authorities feared that it could turn into a patriotic manifestation of Polish desire for independence.