DOI Heft:
Nr. 4
DOI Artikel:Michałowski, Maciej Piotr: The Raczyński of Rogalin
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18940#0131
cess Dorothea of Curland, and in later years Frederick William thc Third of Prussia with his
wife Louise and his brothers Henry and William, Tsar Alexander the First, and the Prince
of Orange (who was later to occupy the throne of the Netherlands as William the Second).
Kazimierz was able to accjuaint himself with the latest trends in art during his numerous
trips round Europę in the years 1780—81 and 1784—86, when he visited Germany, England,
Italy and France. His contacts with famous painters of that era bear witness to his artistic in-
terests: Pompeo Batoni painted his portrait (Fig. 2, and earlier, that of his son-in-law Filip) in
Rome in 1785.7 It is a great pity that Raczyński's travel diary has not survived (it was destroyed
during the last war together with nearly all his correspondence); we can be sure that it contained
Kazimierz's views on art, and also, perhaps, information about certain purchases of pictures for
the palaces in Rogalin and Warsaw which may have taken place.
The next owner of Rogalin, Filip Nereusz Raczyński (1747—1804), was a major-general
in the Polish army. He was the son of Leon Raczyński of Wyszków, and was both the cousin
and son-in-law of Kazimierz. Filip Raczyński was a far less interesting character than Kazimierz,
being somewhat eccentric and given to thc kind of whims typical of the aristocracy. He main-
tained a retinue of two hundred people in Rogalin with his own private orchestra, and it was
this which made his name known in Great Poland. He inherited a considerable fortunę: as
the owner of three towns and sixty villages he was one of the richest people in the district. In
his youth he went on a long tour lasting for several years, during which he visited the main
capitals of Western Europę. Everywhere he went on these peregrinations he developed and
perfected his various talents; he mastered several languages, acąuircd a knowledge of architec-
ture, conducted experiments with electricity, and learnt to play various instruments. After
the premature death of his wife Michalina (shc died in 1790 at the age of 22) he raised his two
sons, Edward and Atanazy, in isolation from the world, hoping in this way to protest them
from revolutionary influences and imbue them from their youth with a dislike for political
and social upheavals. Filip's aim in life, which he pursued with relentless consistency, was to
give his sons from their earliest years the most complete upbringing and education possible.
He was entirely successful in this aim: both boys were talented and ambitious, and endured
the rigorous educational methods of their father, growing up to become men of distinction.
After the death of Filip, Kazimierz became the boys' guardian. The two brothers were sent
for further studies to the university of Frankfurt-an-dcr-Oder, and later to Berlin. In 1806 they
voluntarily joined Napoleon's army, and took part in many campaigns during the next five
years. After 1810 they began to consistently develop their cultural pursuits — as researchers.
and collectors — and also took an active part in political life. Each of them, however, went
his own way, although they maintained unusually warni links with each other until Edward's
tragic death.
Edward Raczyński (1786—1845), who inherited Rogalin following the division of the family
property, initially spent his time learning more about his own country and the world. In 1813
he visited Sweden and Lapland, and the following year he went on an expedition to Constanti-
nople and the coast of Asia Minor. He was accompanied on this latter journey by the Wrocław
illustrator and painter Ludwig Fuhrmann. Fuhrmann's drawings later served as illustrations
to a book by Edward devoted to this expedition.8 Later he sent Fuhrmann to Rome to study
further; after returning to Poland the painter settled in Rogalin to work for the RaczyńskFs-
In the 1820's he painted a number of portraits of members of the family, which undoubtedly
7. Both portraits now hang in the National Museum in Poznań, cf. T. S. Jaroszewski, "I quadri di Pompeo Batoni in Po-
lonia", Bullelin du Musee National de Varsovie, VII, 1966, no. 4, p. 102, Figs 8 and 9.
8. E. Kaczyński, Dziennik podróży do Turcji odbytej w roku 1814, Wrocław, 1821 (German vcrsion Wrocław, 1821).
112
wife Louise and his brothers Henry and William, Tsar Alexander the First, and the Prince
of Orange (who was later to occupy the throne of the Netherlands as William the Second).
Kazimierz was able to accjuaint himself with the latest trends in art during his numerous
trips round Europę in the years 1780—81 and 1784—86, when he visited Germany, England,
Italy and France. His contacts with famous painters of that era bear witness to his artistic in-
terests: Pompeo Batoni painted his portrait (Fig. 2, and earlier, that of his son-in-law Filip) in
Rome in 1785.7 It is a great pity that Raczyński's travel diary has not survived (it was destroyed
during the last war together with nearly all his correspondence); we can be sure that it contained
Kazimierz's views on art, and also, perhaps, information about certain purchases of pictures for
the palaces in Rogalin and Warsaw which may have taken place.
The next owner of Rogalin, Filip Nereusz Raczyński (1747—1804), was a major-general
in the Polish army. He was the son of Leon Raczyński of Wyszków, and was both the cousin
and son-in-law of Kazimierz. Filip Raczyński was a far less interesting character than Kazimierz,
being somewhat eccentric and given to thc kind of whims typical of the aristocracy. He main-
tained a retinue of two hundred people in Rogalin with his own private orchestra, and it was
this which made his name known in Great Poland. He inherited a considerable fortunę: as
the owner of three towns and sixty villages he was one of the richest people in the district. In
his youth he went on a long tour lasting for several years, during which he visited the main
capitals of Western Europę. Everywhere he went on these peregrinations he developed and
perfected his various talents; he mastered several languages, acąuircd a knowledge of architec-
ture, conducted experiments with electricity, and learnt to play various instruments. After
the premature death of his wife Michalina (shc died in 1790 at the age of 22) he raised his two
sons, Edward and Atanazy, in isolation from the world, hoping in this way to protest them
from revolutionary influences and imbue them from their youth with a dislike for political
and social upheavals. Filip's aim in life, which he pursued with relentless consistency, was to
give his sons from their earliest years the most complete upbringing and education possible.
He was entirely successful in this aim: both boys were talented and ambitious, and endured
the rigorous educational methods of their father, growing up to become men of distinction.
After the death of Filip, Kazimierz became the boys' guardian. The two brothers were sent
for further studies to the university of Frankfurt-an-dcr-Oder, and later to Berlin. In 1806 they
voluntarily joined Napoleon's army, and took part in many campaigns during the next five
years. After 1810 they began to consistently develop their cultural pursuits — as researchers.
and collectors — and also took an active part in political life. Each of them, however, went
his own way, although they maintained unusually warni links with each other until Edward's
tragic death.
Edward Raczyński (1786—1845), who inherited Rogalin following the division of the family
property, initially spent his time learning more about his own country and the world. In 1813
he visited Sweden and Lapland, and the following year he went on an expedition to Constanti-
nople and the coast of Asia Minor. He was accompanied on this latter journey by the Wrocław
illustrator and painter Ludwig Fuhrmann. Fuhrmann's drawings later served as illustrations
to a book by Edward devoted to this expedition.8 Later he sent Fuhrmann to Rome to study
further; after returning to Poland the painter settled in Rogalin to work for the RaczyńskFs-
In the 1820's he painted a number of portraits of members of the family, which undoubtedly
7. Both portraits now hang in the National Museum in Poznań, cf. T. S. Jaroszewski, "I quadri di Pompeo Batoni in Po-
lonia", Bullelin du Musee National de Varsovie, VII, 1966, no. 4, p. 102, Figs 8 and 9.
8. E. Kaczyński, Dziennik podróży do Turcji odbytej w roku 1814, Wrocław, 1821 (German vcrsion Wrocław, 1821).
112