180th anniversary birth patron of our city - Kętrzyn - Wojciech Kętrzyński (11.07.1838)
The hundredth anniversary of the death of Wojciech Kętrzyński coincides with the regaining of independence of Poland. Kętrzyński, who pursued his independence work with his positivist work, did not live to see Poland’s independent existence. He died on January 15, 1918, when the tsarist empire broke up and the Austro-Hungarian empire crumbled. He was widely respected as the director of the Ossolineum, an excellent medievalist, an editor and publisher of documents, a historian, and finally as a man. Kętrzyński discovered his works for the Poles of Masuria and for the Masurian region. He reminded that over the great lakes for centuries lived people speaking Polish, celebrating in Polish, praying in Polish. Discovering his Polish and noble roots, he changed his surname from von Winkler to Winkler-Kętrzyński and later to Kętrzyński. He set off into the great world from then Lec – present-day Giżycko. He graduated from school in Giżycko and so well acquainted with the knowledge that he was admitted to the gymnasium in Rastenburg (Kętrzyn). Having graduated from gymnasium, after passing the school-leaving exam, he undertook historical studies at the University of Koenigsberg.
The world of science has appreciated his achievements in historical research. He was
a member of many scientific societies and a co-founder of the Polish Historical Society. From 1946, the former Rastnburg became Kętrzyn.
Source: “Wojciech Kętrzyński, the curator of the national memory”, S. Achremczyk.
In connection with falling in 2018 the hundredth anniversary of the death of Wojciech Kętrzyński, a great patriot, historian, archivist, long-time director of the National Institute
of Ossolińskich in Lviv – the mayor of Kętrzyn announced a competition for the design, construction and assembly of the Wojciech Kętrzyński’s bench in Kętrzyn. The subject of the competition was the preparation of work containing the project titled “the Wojciech Kętrzyński’s bench”.
On December 4, 2017, the Jury of the competition found the assessment and selected
a winner. The greatest number of points, thus the title of the winner was given to Mr. Bogusław Szycik.
