Starodruki i rękopisy związane z Józefem Wybickim w zbiorach Biblioteki Naukowej PAU i PAN w Krakowie
Authors: Łukawski Łukasz , Grodziska Karolina 
Published: February 2023

Old prints and manuscripts related to Józef Wybicki in the Scientific Library of the PAAS and the PAS in Cracow collections

In relation to the announcement of the Polish Sejm made on 14 October 2021 that one of the patrons of the year 2022 shall be Józef Wybicki (1747–1822), a politician, poet, play-writer and the author of the Polish national anthem, we decided to make a review of the keepsakes after him gathered in the Special Collections of our Library. As a result of a broad query, one hand-written letter has been found, written by Wybicki to Hugon Kołłątaj on 2 June 1810. The other nine groups of manuscripts contain either copies of Wybicki’s works or notes and texts related to him, gathered by 19th and 20th c. researchers, and finally an interesting motion to set up a monument of Wybicki, funded by private contributors, submitted in 1904 by Stanisław Witkiewicz. These scriptures are not consistent with each other as they are pieces of some greater manuscript legacies. Eight of them come from different donors, two were purchased in 1958–1960 in antiquarian bookshops in Cracow. They are of marginal significance as far as the research of Wybicki’s achievements is concerned.

What was much more interesting, were the results of an old prints query. The Wybicki’s literary legacy is represented by thirteen 18th c. titles and three from the beginning of 19th c., bearing twenty two shelf marks. This vast amount of keepsakes related to Józef Wybicki results from Cyprian Walewski’s testamentary legacy, from which sixteen shelf marks come. Some of the political scriptures assigned to Wybicki have been published anonymously, therefore the question of their authorship remains open. The overview of publications is presented in chronological order. First three works come from 1870s and are related to the beginnings of Wybicki’s political activity to support king Stanisław August, by counsellor Andrzej Zamoyski’s side, and discusses the necessity of social and political changes in Poland. As this project failed, in year to come Wybicki backed out from politics and devoted himself mostly to writing plays, which are represented by one comedy and three operas. The works from the last decade of 18th c. show Józef Wybicki as a person who was active wherever the issues most significant for Poland were decided. These are political scriptures from the period of the Four-Year Sejm, an appeal issued in Warsaw during the Kościuszko uprising and a brochure in French issued in exile in Paris after the Third Partition of Poland. Wybicki’s lesser known interests are represented by a geography textbook published in 1811, containing one of the first descriptions of the geography and economy of the Duchy of Warsaw. The last writing to be discussed includes Wybicki’s views on political systems, which was published three years before his death. Although these sixteen pieces constitute only a part of Wybicki’s work, they seem to well represent its character as well as illustrate the author’s interests and his patriotic engagement.