Lubomirski Family - Fight Against Invaders

Fight Against Invaders

After 1795 princes Lubomirski engaged in clandestine and insurgent activities, although they lost their estates because of that. Prince Jerzy Roman Lubomirski (1799 – 1865), the owner of Rozwadów, participated in the battles of the November and January Uprisings, and organized hospitals for the wounded on his estates. After the collapse of the uprising his palace became a place where secret meetings of Polish patriots were held. He was also active in the social and scientific fields. He maintained a trivial school and poorhouse for the poor. He established two scientific foundations. One of them dealt with the purchase of equipment for testing, the second – rewarded Polish authors of outstanding scientific works.

His brother Adam Hieronim Karol Lubomirski (1811 – 1873) for participation in the November Uprising was rewarded with the Virtuti Militari Cross. After suppressing the uprising, tsarist authorities deprived the family of the estate.

In 1883 Prince Henryk Lubomirski (1777 – 1850) gave his rich collection (including his book collection, archive material, works of art and other pieces called “antiques”) to the Ossoliński National Institute in Lvov, which since then became an important scientific and cultural institution, famous in all Europe. Humanities research was conducted here. Works published by the institute in the 19th century continue to show high cognitive value. Ossolineum also publishes sources for the history of Poland. Without the material and financial support, which Ossolineum received from Prince Lubomirski, the facility would have collapsed at an early stage of activities. Henryk Lubomirski for many years served as a curator of the facility. He contributed to the formation of the Museum of the Princes Lubomirski – the first private museum in the Polish land, generally available to the public. He was on familiar terms with Zygmunt Krasiński. The figure of the prince was commemorated in “Non-Divine Comedy” in the person of Orcio.

Prince Henryk Lubomirski in 1823 created the entail of Przeworsk. As a result of independence activities of the creator, the entail was legalized by the partitioning authorities only after his death. In 1869 his son – Prince Andrzej Lubomirski became the first recognized Entailer.

Prince Aleksander Lubomirski (1802 - 1893) funded centres for the poor boys in the centre of Kraków (today’s seat of the University of Economics) and girls in Łagiewniki (today’s sanctuary highly regarded by Blessed John Paul II, where Saint Sister Faustina experienced revelations). In these centres the poor young people were prepared for adult life. Practical professions that could be the basis for future employment were taught for free.

Prince Jan Tadeusz Lubomirski (1826 – 1908) founded the Warsaw Charity Society. He was the long-standing president of the Ophthalmology Institute in Warsaw, which conducted ophthalmology research at the European level. On his initiative special teams were set up which helped the poor people to cure eyesight. They gave their patients advice free of charge. During the January Uprising the prince was a member of the National Government of Romuald Traugutt, where he served as a Head of the Department of Internal Affairs. For anti-tsarist activities he was exiled deep into Russia to Nizhny Novgorod. He supported Polish education. He protected Polish vocational organizations from competition from Russian and Prussia, established credit unions. He tried to regain possession of Polish art robbed during the wars by the Russians, among others he regained the Poniatowski monument standing in front of the Presidential Palace. He also restored and renovated the Zygmunt's Column, and bought Polish castles in Czersk and Iłża in order to save them from annihilation. In 1875 he established the Museum of Industry and Agriculture in Warsaw (today the seat of the Central Agricultural Library). He established evening schools for craftsmen and journeymen as well as penny-saving banks for the poor. He financed the publishing of sources for the history of Poland, professional magazines; organized free libraries.

Władysław Emanuel Lubomirski supported the Zoological Cabinet of the University of Warsaw. The prince invested in the purchase of teaching aids, financed trips of employees of the university, and handed over his collection of shells. He was interested in floristics, studied the behavior of plants in the changed climate conditions. The Zoological Museum of the Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (“PAN”) has been making use of his collections until this day.

Prince Władysław Lubomirski (1866 – 1934) was a patron and founder of the group of artists of Music Young Poland. To facilitate the operation of the organization he founded a company, which dealt with the promotion of talented young Polish artists. He financed education and promoted Karol Szymanowski, Artur Rubinstein and Grzegorz Fitelberg for many years. He financed Warsaw Philharmonic at the time when tsarist officials were planning to close it down. Princes Władysław Lubomirski and Jan Tadeusz Lubomirski were initiators of the creation of the Family Association of the Princes Lubomirski.

Prince Stanisław Sebastian Lubomirski (1875 – 1932) founded Warsaw Aviation Association Aviata in 1910. His initiative was to establish the first civilian pilot school and aircraft factory on Polish soil. The first airport of Aviata was located in Mokotów Field, the area also occupied by the tsarist army. The Prince obtained consent to use it from tsarist officials.