#IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FAMOUS LUBLINIANS
August and Juliusz Vetter
There is a characteristic building on Bernardyńska Street. It’s a school complex them. August and Julius Vetter. The building was built in the years 1904-1906 in the neo-Gothic style. Initially, it was the seat of the Commercial School of the Assembly of Merchants of the City of Lublin. The construction was financed by local merchants and industrialists, led by brothers August and Juliusz Vetter. In 1927, the assembly decided to name the school after its deserving funders. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Vetter family had a significant influence on the development of Lublin. Particularly distinguished person from the Vetter family was Karol Rudolf Vetter, a brewer and entrepreneur from Poznań. He bought the Reformers monastery from the city, where a distillery was opened, as well as a brewery brewing the first Bavarian beer in Poland. Charles was also known for his charity and piety. After his death, the obituary was published in the press: “The deceased may serve as a worthy example of hard work and perseverance, qualities very rare in our country. Having come to considerable wealth, he left it to his country and provided work for his countrymen. ” His sons multiplied his wealth and increased his influence in Lublin. The Vetter family is buried in the Evangelical part of the cemetery at Lipowa Street.
Henryk Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski was born on 10 July 1835 in Lublin. He was a violin virtuoso and composer. He began his musical education as a young boy, initially assisted by his mother. Over time, he decided to study at the Paris Conservatory. Already as a child he was recognizable with his brother Joseph, with whom he performed throughout the Russian Empire, as well as in many European countries. In his honour in Lublin, at Maria Curie-Skłodowska Street 5 in 1978, on the initiative of the Music Society in Lublin, a monument was erected by Janusz Pastwa.
Hieronim Łopaciński
Hieronim Rafał Łopaciński was born on 30 September 1860 in Osno Górny. He was a linguist, ethnographer and historian of Lublin. He was a member of the Language Committee of the Academy of Skills in Krakow. In 1884 he moved to Lublin and started working at the gymnasium. He mainly dealt with folk rites and rites, bibliology and history of Lublin. Łopaciński contributed to the establishment of the Folk Museum and the Public Library in Lublin. He died on 24 August 1906 in an accident.
The origins of the library date back to 1907. In recognition of his achievements, the Society of Public Library was established and given his name. After his death, Jerome left over 11,000 volumes of books, engravings, manuscripts, as well as atlases, which were purchased and placed in the newly created library. It currently has a collection of 480 thousand copies and is located at 4 Narutowicza Street.
Wincenty Pol
Wincenty Pol was born in 1807 in the house at 7 Grodzka Street. He lived there until his family left in 1812. Pol was not Polish by birth, but he was still a great patriot. He took part in all kinds of uprisings and was awarded the Order Virtuti Militari in recognition of his merits on the battlefield. He is known for his literary work, particularly romantic poetry and prose. His works were inspired by Wolfgang Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, G. G. Byron and Mickiewicz. In 1849 he was appointed associate professor of “general, physical and comparative geography” at the Jagiellonian University, where he became the first in Poland and the second in the world (after Berlin) chair of geography.
Jan Kochanowski
Jan Kochanowski, the most outstanding Polish poet of the Renaissance period, visited Lublin many times. Thanks to the intercession of Bishop Philip Padniewski, he became one of the royal secretaries at the court of King Sigismund II Augustus. He took part in the preparations and deliberations of the Lublin Sejm, which concluded the Polish-Lithuanian Union. Kochanowski was also associated with the court of Jan Firlej, voivode of Lublin, to whose family he dedicated many poems. He died in Lublin on 22 August 1594. In his honor, a monument was created in the square next to the church of St. Peter. Assumption of Our Lady Victorious. The monument was founded on the occasion of the 400th birthday of Jan Kochanowski. During World War II, it was hidden by the inhabitants because of the order to destroy it.
Józef Czechowicz
Józef Czechowicz was born on 15 March 1903 in Lublin. He is considered by many to be one of the most original poets of his time. His poems depicted an idyllic village and province. The poet was inspired by folklore. In the poetry of Chechowicz one could also meet all kinds of catastrophic visions. The poet has a special place in the history of the city, as he was born there and tragically died during the bombing of 9 September 1939. In his honor, a Literary Museum named after him was established at Złota 3 Street. It also has its own monument and square. It is located between the Main Post Office and the Capuchin Monastery, as it was the place where the poet died. The monument was unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of the poet.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie
Maria Skłodowska-Curie was born on 7 November 1867 in Warsaw. She was a Polish scientist specializing in physics and chemistry. In 1891, Maria left Poland as far as Paris to study at the Sorbonne, because in the 19th century women were unable to study on the lands of the Kingdom of Poland. She was a precursor of radiochemistry, developed the theory of radioactivity, and initiated research into cancer treatment with radioactivity. At the beginning of the 20th century in 1903, she was first awarded the Nobel Prize, together with her husband Piotr, for research on radioactivity. She was again awarded in 1911, this time for the discovery of two new elements radium and polonium. She is the only woman and the only scientist to have received a Nobel Prize in two different fields of the natural sciences. She died on July 4, 1934, due to excessive exposure to radiation.
Aleksander Zelwerowicz
Aleksander Zelwerowicz was born on 14 August 1877 in a tenement house on the market square in the Old Town. He is considered one of the most outstanding Polish actors and directors in history. He graduated from Diction and Declamation Class and Kronenberg School of Economics in Warsaw. As an amateur, he made his debut in Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors in the Garden Theatre. After a year’s stay and studies in Geneva in 1899 he found himself in Łódź, in the team of Michał Wołowski. He ran the permanent theatre “Victoria” here. It could be said that it was the first fully professional acting debut of Alexander Zelwerovich. As he gained experience, the actor expanded his repertoire with dramatic roles saturated with irony and sarcasm. His most appreciated period of theatrical work dates back to 1920/1921, when he was the director of the Municipal Theatre in Łódź. He died on 18 June 1955 in Warsaw.
Sebastian Klonowic
Sebastian Fabian Klonowic was born in 1545 in Sulmierzyce. He was a Polish poet, composer and lecturer at the Zamojska Academy. Sebastian spent his entire adult life in a circle designated by three cities: Lublin, Lviv and Zamość. Around 1573 Sebastian settled in Lublin and began his career as a clerk in the city law firm. Klonowica’s work stands on the border between two literary eras – the Renaissance and the Baroque. It belongs to the stream of bourgeois poetry because of its origin, as well as life experiences. He made his debut with a translation of the Latin work of Clement Janicki, which was published in 1576. Inspired by Jan Zamoyski, in 1895 he was appointed headmaster of the school in Zamość. He died on 29 August 1602 at St. Louis Hospital. Lazarus in Lublin.
Romuald Lipko
Romuald Lipko was born on 3 April 1950 in Lublin. He was a Polish composer and multi-instrumentalist. He graduated from elementary music school, but was expelled from music high school for participating in a television show. Together with Andrzej Szczodorowski, in 1966 he founded the TRAMP team, which operates at the WSK Cultural Centre in Świdnik. The next stage in his life was the founding of the Budek Sufler band in 1974 and taking over the role of leader four years later, after the departure of Krzysztof Cugowski. He performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He died on 6 February 2020 in Lublin, after more than six months of fighting the disease.
Beata Kozidrak
Beata Kozidrak was born on May 4, 1960 in Lublin. She is a Polish singer, songwriter and composer. She started her musical activity in the 1970s with amateur performances with her brother Jarosław, with whom they founded the band Bajm in 1978. After several winning local reviews, they performed the song “Piechotą do lata” in the “Debiutów” competition as part of the 16th edition. National Song Festival in Opole, after which they started their national career. During this period she turned down the offer to become a choir singer of Maryla Rodowicz, at the same time after graduating from high school she did not continue her studies, preferring to focus on stage activities. In parallel with playing in the band, she continued her solo activity. In 1989, she recorded „Hurry My Love”, for which she won the Grand Prix at the Midnight Sun Song Festival in Lahti. In early September 2021, she was arrested by police while driving under the influence of alcohol. On October 29, she was sentenced to six months of community service, a ban on driving for 5 years and a fine of PLN 10,000. The situation was considered one of the biggest business crises in Polish media in 2021.
