Issues raised in the diaries of Franciszek Salezy Gawronski’s European travels

Abstract

Franciszek Salezy Gawroński (1787–1871), a soldier in the Napoleonic army and a participant in the November Uprising, is the author of an extensive diary covering the period from his childhood to 1869, some of which was published in 1916, most of which remains in the original manuscripts. In the first half of the nineteenth century Gawroński was also an important figure in Polish political and cultural life in Krakow. He was a member of many societies, and was also elected to the Senate of the Republic of Cracow. Among his friends and acquaintances there were representatives of great aristocratic families. He witnessed important historical events, including the Spring of Nations. The article presents his unpublished diary from his travels around Europe in the years 1839– 1841. During this period the diarist visited Italy, Switzerland, German countries, Belgium, France and England and Austria. During his journey, Franciszek Gawroński met with many of his colleagues – soldiers, politicians, writers. Among other things, he visited the site of the Battle of Waterloo, and in Paris he attended the second funeral of Emperor Napoleon. His interlocutors include Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, Adam Mickiewicz and Jan Skrzynecki. Researchers highly value this diary as a source of information. This work contains important information on the life of the Polish emigration community in France and England, and has hardly been used in academic research so far. The article contains information on the biography of Franciszek Salezy Gawroński, a general characteristic of his autobiographical work, and presents several excerpts from the diary with commentary.