Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki

Who was Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki?

Count Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki was a Polish noble, landowner, naturalist, political activist, collector and patron of arts.

Włodzimierz became the 1st Ordynat of the Poturzyca estate. He was owner of the Poturzyca, Zarzecze, Kramarzowka, Markpol, Lachowice, Dobraczyn, Medowa, Jaryszow, Konarzewo, Gluszyn, Wiry and Szczytnik estates. He was one of the first Polish magnates to replace serfdom on his estates.

He was educated in Poland and from 1840 in Göttingen and Paris. In 1846 Wlodzimierz returned to Poland. During the Spring of Nations in 1848, he became a member of the "Council of the Nation of Lwow". He was also a member of the "Economic Society of Galicia". He supported publishing houses, spent money for scientific works and school books. In 1863 he partly financed and participated in the civil organisation of the January Uprising.

In 1881 Wlodzimierz became a member of the Polish Academy of Skills. In 1855 he founded the Dzieduszycki Museum in Lwów. The Museum included a rich natural collection, mainly ornithology, ethnography and numismatic objects and a large collection of books.

He was also co-founder of the Museum of Industry of Arts in 1874 in Lwów and founder the "Hunting Society of Lesser Poland" in 1885.