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11 grudnia 2025

"Being Useful to the Nation"

Stanisław Staszic 1755–1826:
1755 – born in Piła in early November into the family of the mayor of Piła
1772 – First Partition of Poland, Piła falls under Prussian rule
1774 – receives minor priestly orders in Poznań, spends the next four years studying at the
provincial school in Poznań
1779 – publishes his first literary works in Warsaw, translations from French of L. Racine's
"Religion" and Voltaire's “Poem on the Fall of Lisbon”
1779–1781 – studies abroad, after visiting Leipzig and Göttingen, studies physics and natural
sciences at the Collège Royal in Paris for almost two years; In Paris, he meets the famous
naturalist G. L. Buffon, whose book "The Ages of Nature" he would later translate into Polish
(1786).
1782 – after returning to Poland, he becomes associated with Andrzej Zamoyski's family,
becoming a teacher and tutor for his sons. He settles permanently in Zamość, joins the
Zamoyski Academy, earns a doctorate in both laws, and later takes over the rectory in Turobin
(1788-1791).
1787 – publishes anonymously "Remarks on the Life of Jan Zamoyski," a collection of essays
inspired by A. Zamoyski on the repair of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Three years
later, he publishes "Warnings for Poland," in which he seeks an answer to the question: "Is
there no salvation for the rest of Poland?"
1790-1791 – trip to Austria and Italy with the Zamoyski family, during which Staszic keeps a
diary, recording his observations as a "researcher of societies."
1793 – Second, and then Third (1795) Partition of Poland; Staszic is deeply affected by the
fall of Poland, writes the first volumes of "The Human Race" in isolation, and later supports
financially the Kościuszko Uprising. From 1794, he resides in Vienna with the widow of A.
Zamoyski and her children.
1797 – after returning home, he begins several years of research wanderings through the lands
of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, intending to study their geological structure
and natural resources. He makes numerous visits to the areas around Kraków, Lviv, Kielce,
Lublin, Mazovia region, and Podlasie, visits the Carpathians and the Foothills, and travels to
Hungary.
1800 – purchase of the Hrubieszów estates. after arranging them and organizing them into an
agricultural society, he will relinquish these estates to the peasants (1822)
1800 – The Society of Friends of Science is established in Warsaw; Staszic is among the
founding members
1802 – purchase of a palace in Warsaw for Anna Sapieha, née Zamoyska, where he will live
until his death
1804-1805 – devotes his second stay in Paris to studying the latest achievements in geology
1805 – undertakes a scientific expedition to the Tatra Mountains, after which he reads a
treatise on the geology of Polish lands at a public meeting of the Tatra Mountains, presenting
a program of action for a nation threatened with denationalization (“Staszic’s Ode to Youth”)
1806 – donates houses on Kanonia Street as the seat of the Society of Friends of Science
1807 – The Duchy of Warsaw is established; Staszic publishes his treatise "On Polish
Statistics," in which he demonstrates the real foundations for regaining and maintaining
independence. In the same year, he begins public service: as a member of the Education
Chamber, he presents plans for public education, campaigns for educational funds, and co-
founds the School of Law and the Medical School. He also works in the treasury
administration, and in 1810 is appointed state counselor.
1808 – becomes president of the Society of Friends of Science; his motto is "to be useful to
the nation."
1812 – signs the first donation agreement with the peasants of the Hrubieszów estate –
founding of the Hrubieszów Agricultural Society, which later earns him the reputation of a
pioneer of peasant cooperatives in Europe. The Society will exist until 1951.
1815 – The Kingdom of Poland is established; Staszic publishes “Thoughts on Political
Balance in Europe”, in which he calls for the association of Slavic nations as a precursor to
the association of European nations. The fall of Napoleon did not interrupt Staszic's public
activity: in the Provisional Government of the Kingdom, he took over the management of
economic affairs and joined the Department of Enlightenment.
1815 – publishes in Warsaw the work “On the Geology of the Carpathians and Other Polish
Mountains and Plains with an atlas,” which would later earn him the title of "father of Polish
geology."
1816 – tooks over the management of the Directorate of Industry and Crafts in the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, advocating state protectionism in the economy. He would manage mining and
metallurgy, road construction, river regulation, crafts, and trade. He organizes the Main
Mining Directorate and the Academic-Mining School in Kielce.
1816 – works in the Government Commission for Religious Denominations and Public
Enlightenment, he continues his previously begun work on a unified education system in
Poland (he organizes the University of Warsaw, with his participation in the creation of,
among others, the Agronomic School, the School of Construction and Surveying, the School
of Civil Engineering of Roads and Bridges, the Veterinary School, and the Preparatory School
for the Polytechnic Institute).
1819-1820 – prints three volumes of “The Human Race,” in which he presents a general
outline of the history of all humanity and a vision of the future society – "Europe of united
nations."
1820 – begins construction of a new headquarters for the Society of Friends of Science
(Staszic Palace), simultaneously signing a contract with B. Thorwaldsen for the construction
of a monument to Nicolaus Copernicus.
1824 – due to the growing conflict with the Minister of the Treasury, Prince Drucki-Lubecki,
he resigns due to health and advanced age; his resignation is accompanied by his appointment
as Minister of State.
1826 – dies in Warsaw on January 20th; buried at the Camaldolese church in Bielany. In his
last will, he bequeathed his entire estate to public purposes (hospitals, workrooms, a clinic at
the University, and the Institute for the Deaf). He leaves his book and natural history
collections to the Society of Friends of Science.

I was born in the town of Piła

"In November 1755, I was born in the town of Piła to parents of universal esteem. My
grandfather was elected mayor of that town for thirty years, by unanimous vote of the town's
community […] My father was then elected mayor of that town for ten years, until the
unfortunate fall of our homeland, when, during the first partition, the town fell under Prussian
rule. During his term in office, he was constantly exposed to the persecution and cruelty of the
invaders of our country, insisting on protecting the town." (Staszic, “A Brief Sketch of My
Life”, circa 1822)
The house in the suburb of Zamość belonged to the Staszic family until the end of the 18th
century. Sold by Staszic's father, Wawrzyniec, it housed other families from Piła. It was
damaged during the fighting for Piła in 1945, and rebuilt after the end of hostilities in 1947–
1948. In 1951, a biographical museum of Stanisław Staszic was opened there. Currently,
Staszic's Piła ancestry is documented throughout the city by, among other things, two
monuments, a bench, several commemorative plaques, the name of a square, a park, a district,
a hospital, and three schools.

In the service of Chancellor Andrzej Zamoyski

In 1781, Staszic returned from his studies in Paris and for a dozen years became associated
with Andrzej Zamoyski's family, becoming a teacher and tutor to his sons. Inspired by the
Chancellor, he wrote two books, then famous: "Observations on the Life of Jan Zamoyski"
and "Warnings for Poland." Through the Zamoyski family, he became known to the great
magnate and noble families, which led to his entry into the government during the period of
the Duchy of Warsaw and the Kingdom of Poland. In April 1790, Staszic, accompanied by the
Zamoyski family, embarked on a two-year journey to Austria and Italy, from where he
brought back a diary full of fascinating observations. After the fall of Poland, he lived for
several years in Vienna with Konstancja Zamoyska, the chancellor's widow, and her children
(1794–1797).
"In 1781, I undertook the education of the Zamoyskis. Their parents secured for me a life
pension of four thousand Polish zlotys by deed, provided that I continued to engage in this
education for ten years […] For seventeen years, remaining in this house, I had no need to
incur any expenses for myself, having all the necessary comforts; and at the same time, the
constant and always consistent way of life never separated me from the narrow needs that had
been chosen for me once and for all." (Staszic, „Where Did My Estate Come From?,” 1794)

“Whoever refuses to sacrifice freedom becomes unworthy of the freedom gifts."

"Having returned from German universities and France to Poland, I was summoned by
Andrzej Zamoyski, of esteemed memory, to manage the education of his sons. In frequent
conversations with this most virtuous citizen, infinitely attached to his homeland, and through
long experience and great expertise in the laws, familiar with all the flaws in our country's
social principles, I was prompted by these conversations to present them to the nation
standing on the brink of the abyss and to point out the final moment for salvation and
improvement. With this intention, I published the work "Remarks on the Life of Jan
Zamoyski" a year before the general constitutional parliament. And during the parliament, I
wrote Warnings for Poland. (Staszic, “A Short Sketch of My Life,” circa 1822)
"These ‘Remarks on the Life of Jan Zamoyski’, Chancellor and Grand Hetman of the Crown,
a book so interesting, so suddenly redeemed, and therefore so difficult to acquire, yet I
received it and truly had something to demand. Excellent thoughts! (Anonymous, “Thoughts
on the Occasion of Remarks on the Life of Zamoyski,” 1788)

"I'll tell you who's harming my homeland."

"It's the noblemen themselves who are the downfall of the Poles. They destroyed all respect
for the law. Unwilling to suffer government obedience, they left the law unenforced. They
completely lost the concept of justice in the minds of Poles. They turned the law into an
empty formality, which was only valid when it served their pride, greed, and malice [...] Who
teaches citizens treason, deceit, baseness, and violence at the regional assemblies? Noblemen.
Who has been rendering the legislative power inoperative for a century, tearing apart the
Sejms? Noblemen [...] Who sold the crown? Noblemen. Who bought the crown? Noblemen.
Who brought foreign troops into the country? Noblemen [...] Who received foreign salaries
during the partition of the country? Noblemen. Who, in this Sejm, obstructed the army,
prevented the Military Commission? Noblemen." (Staszic, “Warnings for Poland”, 1790)
"In a country where the urban population was so sparse, where communication over longer
distances was neither convenient nor easy, where intellectual activity had long been weak and
only a few periodicals were published – Staszic's book achieved unparalleled, extraordinary
success. […] Responses and comments poured in in the form of small pamphlets and books
larger than the original; and the fact that many people read it, that readers were moved by the
author's thoughts and feelings, that his projects and advice gained wide recognition and
quickly shaped public opinion: this is proven by the proceedings and resolutions of the Four-
Year Sejm. In its main phases, this Sejm developed and operated on Staszic's orders." (T.
Korzon, “The Internal History of Poland under Stanisław August”, 1887)

Discoverer of the Tatra Mountains

"[The Tatras] are mountains incomparably larger than any I've ever traversed, all white,
always covered with ice and snow. Their chain stretches for over ten miles. Their summits
[…] are audacious, for with a straight shot they shoot their blades into the sky. Such is the
view of the entire Tatra Mountains from the Gorzec and Grapa mountains." (Staszic, “On the
Geology of the Carpathians,” 1815)
"Despite the lack of a boat in this place [at Czarny Staw] and of any trees at this height, I tried
to measure the depth in several places and to learn the degrees of warmth or cold of its
deepest waters. A lead ball thrown on a rope fell to the depths of five hundred and eighty feet.
In order to learn the depths of the water, I took a simple glass bottle […] I lowered Reaumur's
heat meter into the water, sealed in this way. The bottle stopped at the deepest depth I could
cast to. 496 feet. It remained open at the bottom for four hours. After that time, I quickly
pulled it up […] The waters at the bottom were 6 degrees colder than the surface waters
(Staszic, “On the Geology of the Carpathians,” Warsaw 1815)
“Reading Staszic’s learned treatises on the land of the mountains, and especially the
Carpathians, it is impossible not to desire to see with one’s own eyes the places that inspired
him” (A. Grabowski, “A Few Hours of Stay in the Tatras,” 1826)

The Father of Polish Geology

"Visiting the Alps and the Apennines […] convinced me that [Buffon's] theory of epochs was
witty, but incompatible with nature. This observation increasingly drew my attention to
identifying the land of the Carpathians. With this in mind, I began to collect all the geological
observations, both in my own country and during my repeated visits to Italy, the Alps, the
Apennines, Vesuvius, and Etna. Finally, for several years, visiting our native Carpathians led
me to publish a work entitled “On the Land of the Carpathians and the Land of Ancient
Sarmatia” (Staszic, “A Short Sketch of My Life,” ca. 1822).
"In two hours, I comfortably stood on the highest promontory of the Krywań Mountain. It is
difficult to understand, even more difficult to describe, those first impressions that the
immensity of space, seen from high mountains, creates in the mind. It is suddenly a strange
delight: the eyes are dazzled, the inner sense of reason almost stunned, full of agitation, full of
inner sensations, but no imaginations. […] The eye sees nothing when it sees everything
together. (Staszic, “On the Geology of the Carpathians,” 1815)

The most active, zealous, and above all, most generous member of the Society

Stanisław Staszic was one of the figures who had the greatest influence on the development
and activities of the Society of Friends of Science. In 1806, he purchased three burned-down
tenement houses on Kanonia Street, rebuilt them at his own expense, and donated them to the
Society as its headquarters. Two years later, he was elected president of the Society, serving in
this capacity for 18 years until his death. In 1820, he secured land and a loan to build a new
headquarters for the Society. Three years later, the building on Krakowskie Przedmieście
Street, still known today as Staszic Palace, was opened. Thanks to a bequest in Staszic's will,
a monument to Nicolaus Copernicus was erected in front of the Society's headquarters. In
1820, it was Staszic who signed a contract with the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen for
the monument, paid the artist's fee, and covered the costs of bringing the model to Warsaw.
"As soon as he arrived there [in Warsaw], he became the soul of this scientific and intellectual
movement [...], he became a member of the Society of Friends of Science, a tireless member,
the most active, the most zealous, and above all the most generous" (K. Koźmian, “Memoirs”
1865)

“To save the native language and preserve the nation's history”

“To save and perfect the native language, to preserve and refine the nation's history, to learn
about the native land and all its fruits, and to promote the skills and arts necessary for their
acquisition and use, is the main intention of the Royal Society of Friends of Science.”
(Staszic, “Report on the Four-Year Work of the Society of Friends of Science from 1809,
1810, 1811, and 1812 at a public meeting on January 10, 1814”)
“The presently written collection of the history of our family must be composed in such a
way, with such art, with such eloquence, for this purpose, that it may become a tool capable of
delighting the developing first intellectual faculties of Polish children, of imprinting on them
early on that feeling, that memory of what kind of fathers they are sons of. So that every
young person, by reading the works of their fathers, may gain respect for them and for
themselves, and feel honor in the name of a Pole" (Staszic, “Thoughts on the most useful
books,” 1805)

"Brave nation! I warn you, use your time."

"Brave nation! I warn you, use your time. You already have a point on your own land to arm
and harvest […] Strive to arm as many of you as possible. So that even in the worst case, if
not complete political existence, you can at least, with weapons in hand, secure your
nationality, your own language, national rights, and offices […] Only the wicked, armed,
return to shameful slavery." (Staszic, “On Polish Statistics,” 1807)
"The place designated for us to inaugurate our existence. We are ready for the challenge.
There is no retreat. It must be demonstrated here that in this new destiny of European nations,
we are worthy of being a nation, we are needed." (Staszic, „To the Sejm,” 1809)

In an Official's Uniform

Staszic participated in the meetings of the government, first the Council of State of the Duchy
of Warsaw and then the Kingdom of Poland, for nearly 13 years, from 1808 until his death.
He served as a registrar, counselor, and minister of state. He prepared and reported on draft
laws and presented requests and complaints to the Council. He frequently participated in
discussions, quickly becoming one of the most active members of the government.
"What do I see in the Council of State of the Duchy of Warsaw, attacking the sanctity of the
fund that virtuous citizens tore from traitors and plunderers of their homeland in 1775? These
same traitors and plunderers, who dared to sell the country, gave up part of their loot for the
upbringing of their children. Bad citizens did not dare to be bad fathers. And here I see fathers
of families sacrificing the fate and fortune of their tribe for whom? For wasteful spenders and
evildoers [...]. Ignorant fathers ruined the country, we want to carry it forward, and we deprive
our descendants of the means of enlightenment. Therefore, let Poland not expect to rise, and
even if by some miracle it does rise, it will be lost by a young, and through our fault, ignorant
tribe." (Staszic, quoted in K. Koźmian, “Memoirs,” 1865)
"Before the Sejm, I believe in 1811, the Saxon King Frederick Augustus descended on
Warsaw and used to preside over the Council [of State] of the Duchy of Warsaw […] Staszic
had prepared a report on the need to aid the country with industry, factories, previously
neglected mines, and mining […]. The weary king seemed to be dozing off, just as Staszic
began to enumerate the obstacles hindering our trade, and, arguing for the need to improve
roads, he expressed himself in these words: Where is the carriage traffic on paved roads here?
At these such unfortunate […] syllables, the king, as if awakened by the clatter of a carriage,
awoke and asked Mr. Stanisław Potocki what it was? And when Mr. Stanisław explained it to
him, he smiled. Staszic thus triumphed over the royal dream, but not over his hearing." (K.
Koźmian, „Memoirs,” 1865)

‘A human is material, more or less suitable for any work. Education will make anything
out of him.’

Staszic was a member of the educational authorities of the Duchy of Warsaw and the
Kingdom of Poland continuously since 1807. Deputizing for the minister, "from the outset, he
exerted considerable influence on the direction and pace of the programmatic and
organizational work of the central educational authorities." He developed projects for the
organization of educational authorities, plans for public education, the organization of the
teaching profession, dealt with educational funds, and co-created a unified school system in
Polish lands...
"Only with the improvement of a nation's mental faculties does its civilization grow, only
sciences, skills and arts give lasting splendor to societies and immortality to the fame of
peoples" (Staszic, Speech at the Initiation of the Academic Faculty of Medical Sciences,
1810)
"Moral teaching is the first of all […] Let this teaching repeat to the young as often and as
clearly as possible that a man is his own man, and that no one else owes him anything […],
that he should strive for his own good, that the first duty of a man is to work, that only
through work does he become a useful citizen, that in any state of life, idleness makes a man
harmful to himself and others." (Staszic, „Notes on the Life of Jan Zamoyski,” 1787)

"One must be able to apply the acquired knowledge and skills to national needs."

Staszic promoted young and talented students by seeking scholarships from the Education
Magistrate's Office and sending them to study abroad. He corresponded with most of them
personally, receiving semi-annual written reports on their progress. Among the "Staszic
scholarship recipients" were future professors at the University of Warsaw: botanist Michał
Szubert, chemist Adam Kitajewski, painter Antoni Brodowski, professor at the Mining
Academy Józef Tomaszewski, and engineers Teodor Urbański and Jan Kanty Skolimowski.

"Sciences and skills only become useful when they are practically applied for public use."
(Staszic, “The Human Race”)
"I reiterate the subjects I previously expressed to them, in which you are to excel, so that you
may become useful to our country [...] You are to be the instillers of the sciences necessary for
this subject and, at the same time, the directors of the necessary workers. Today, there are up
to 30 of you, who in the winter take preparatory mathematics, and in the summer work on
roads and rivers [...]. These are the subjects, this is the goal, which you should never lose sight
of now, and use everywhere, so that when you return, you may become useful to our country."
(Staszic to Teodor Urbański, the School of Roads and Bridges officer, Warsaw, October 10,
1820)

"What does the common good of a country truly rest on?"

Staszic directed the economic life of the Kingdom of Poland from mid-1815. His scope of
authority as director general of the Department of Industry and Crafts encompassed
agriculture, trade, industry, crafts, land and water communications, public works, mining, as
well as supervision of the Council of Trade and Handicrafts, the General Council of
Construction, Surveying, Roads and Floats, and the General Directorate of Roads and
Bridges...
"What does the common good of a country truly rest on? On good agriculture, producing
abundantly and profitably various agricultural products. On national industry, skillfully
developing in all branches of society, serving needs, comforts, and defense. On flourishing
internal and external trade, and on easy, inexpensive, and rapid land and water
communications." (Staszic, “Speech at the Opening of the Preparatory School for the
Polytechnic Institute,” January 4, 1826)
"In 1823, Zgierz had only a few wooden Jewish houses […] and 20 bourgeois agricultural
huts, scattered about in disorder, without paving, full of mud and misery. Now there is no sign
of where the houses once stood; one can see several long, wide streets, two large market
squares, nearly three hundred decent houses, mostly made of brick and with tiled roofs, many
of them rising several stories high, all built at the owners' expense, all inhabited solely by
manufacturers and merchants. The population is three thousand, and there are 500 master
craftsmen alone. They produce about 300,000 yards of fine cloth here, and 400,000 yards of
an average cloth. This makes up the six million zlotys that are in annual circulation in this
settlement." (Staszic, “Report on the tours of textile industry centers in the Masovian and
Kalisz Voivodeships,” September 1825)

"And the sun shone on Poland's precious metals"

Staszic, as head of the Faculty of Industry, Trade, and Crafts, placed particular emphasis on
mining and metallurgy. In 1816, the Main Mining Directorate and the Mining Academy were
established, headquartered in Kielce. The university's professors were primarily Saxons,
graduates of the Mining Academy in Freiberg, brought to Poland thanks to Staszic's efforts. In
1817, the Aleksander Steelworks, with 15 blast furnaces, opened in Białogon – the largest
industrial plant in the Kingdom of Poland. For this occasion, a silver medal was minted with
the image of the steelworks' patron, a view of the plant, and an inscription composed by
Staszic: "And the sun shone on Poland's precious metals."
"The intention of domestic mining should be that the agricultural products found in the
bowels of the earth, from which products need to be imported from abroad and considerable
sums of money exported, can be extracted in the country, processed in the country into all
necessary tools and equipment [...]." (Staszic, quoted after H. Radlińska, 1928)
"The establishment of a Mining School is important to him [Staszic] only because of the
gratitude of his fellow countrymen, because it will bring immeasurable benefits to the
country." (“Remarks of the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland to the report of the Council of
State on the activities of the government and the state of the country in the years 1820-1823”)

"I will tell you how man subjugates man, and how the human race will regain its
rights."

Explaining motifs of his main writings in his autobiography, Staszic wrote that the social
injustice in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled by noblemen and the fall of that state
inspired him to undertake a thorough study of human civilization. The result of these works is
"The Human Race." In it, the author presented a general outline of the history of all humanity
(as "the uninterrupted struggle of civilization against all resistance to its development and
progress") and a vision of the future society—a "Europe of united nations." The work had a
clear didactic purpose: by revealing the mechanisms governing social development, it would
facilitate humanity's attainment of its destined state of universal peace and happiness. This
goal is defined in the opening lines of the poem: "I will tell you how man subjugates man, and
how the human race will regain its rights."

The creative power will not change, it will not subside, it will necessarily fulfill its
destiny in the human race."

"Staszic read to me long passages from this work, undoubtedly unattractive in terms of its
poetic forms […], marked by a lack of religious faith and a flawed philosophy, but which,
read with attention […], astonishes with its collection of extraordinary knowledge, profound
erudition, and gives an idea of Staszic's arduous, hard work, always directed towards tracing
the truth in man, in his nature, in his fate." (K. Koźmian, “Memoirs,” 1865)
"At home, I read Staszic's infernal poem, “The Human Race.” Never did Marat and
Robespierre create a more venomous doctrine. Senator Novosiltsov intends to include a
summary of this poem in his report to the Grand Duke [Constanty]." (L. Bajkov, “From the
Pages of a Handwritten Diary,” 1827)
"I only saved a few copies from destruction before the annexation [by Prince Constanty's
men], having spent an entire night in the Society [Friends of Science] library tearing out a few
pages from individual volumes, from which I then composed three complete volumes of the
work." (“Memoirs of Count Fryderyk Skarbek,” Poznań 1878)
"However, whoever is not discouraged by the form will find in the said poem a first-rate
historiosophical work." (T. Korzon, 1887)

"Only he who, throughout his life, improves the lot and increases the happiness of
others, best achieves his Creator's goal."

In 1822, Staszic completed his long-held intention to organize the Hrubieszów estates for the
benefit of their residents. By a notarial deed executed in Warsaw on February 7, 1822, he
donated his immovable property to the Hrubieszów commune, on the condition that the
residents of these estates join an organization of his own design: the Hrubieszów Agricultural
Society, which aims to help one another in times of adversity. At least since 1812, Staszic had
been inculcating the Hrubieszów peasants in the Society's organizational principles: joint
action and mutual assistance, self-governance, thrift, care for family life, and a proper moral
attitude. To achieve this, he transferred ownership of the Hrubieszów estates to the Society as
a whole, and individual members became hereditary owners of their farms. Staszic also
designated common property: forests, pastures, inns, and mills, as well as land constituting the
remuneration of the Society's president and officials. He organized and endowed the Society
with five elementary schools, three grain warehouses, and a loan bank. He obligated the
members to care for orphans, disabled and elderly people, and war invalids. He also devised
medical and hospital care. He placed the Society under the leadership of an Economic
Council, elected from among the peasants and townspeople of Hrubieszów, and a hereditary
president. The Society survived until 1951.

"The main destiny of man on this earth is to do good to others."

"I have an outstanding and well-earned salary in the treasury – forty-five thousand, liquidated
and awarded, but not yet paid [...] Therefore, the government kindly deigns to turn this
outstanding salary, due to me for my continued service, over to the charitable Institute for the
Deaf in Warsaw, to which I bequeath this property of mine – forty-five thousand.
I bequeath my entire library, manuscripts, and all my own works, whether reprinted or
in manuscript, to the Royal Society of Friends of Science.
Having already paid Mr. Thorwaldsen, I allocate 70,000 złotys for the erection of the
Copernicus statue." (Staszic, “Testament,” 1824)
"Long ago, this half of the capital bequeathed to the Infant Jesus, according to Staszic's will
that one hundred thousand złoty should always earn another, had already served its purpose.
The original capital was multiplied by one and the other hundred thousand złotys. The entire
capital has now doubled. The hospital collects interest on the sum of 300,000 złotys deposited
in a Polish bank, while the fourth hundred thousand złotys is being worked for a third time to
increase the capital, which the hospital will soon have half a million złotys." (J. Bartoszewicz,
1870)

"My funeral is to be modest."

"My funeral is to be modest, no different from that of a poor Christian, because by entering
the presence of God, we all become such, we are all equal. No more than six candles are to be
lit by the coffin. The light of candles is completely unnecessary for the deceased [...] Instead
of this paltry vainglory, ten thousand złotys is to be distributed on the day of my funeral to the
disabled, the sick, and the poor." (Staszic, “Testament” 1824)
"I am not writing to you about Staszic, because I know that you have sufficient information
about his lavishly poor funeral from newspapers and couriers. I will only mention that the
Academics carried him from the Church of the Holy Cross all the way to Bielany, where he
wished to be buried, that [Fryderyk] Skarbek delivered a speech at the graveside, that they
showered his coffin with love and enthusiasm, and that as a souvenir I also have a piece of the
pall with which the bier was covered, and finally, that 20,000 people accompanied his body to
the grave." (A letter from Fryderyk Chopin to Jan Białobłocki, Warsaw, February 12, 1826)