Antoni Chołoniewski
Antoni Chołoniewski-Myszka (1872-1924), was a Polish journalist, publicist and a national activist. Biography. Antoni Chołoniewski-Myszka, or Antoni Chołoniewski was born on October 23, 1872, in Kavske -then called Kawsko- near Stryi, now in western Ukraine. His family was from landed nobility, linked to the Korczak clan. His mother was Katarzyna née Hrynkiewicz. His father Ferdinand fought as a lieutenant under General Józef Bem during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The property of the Chołoniewski family was confiscated by the Austrian authorities following Ferdinand's participation to this uprising. He attended a gymnasium in Stryi and  lost his parents early in his youth. As a consequence, Antoni had to earn early his living by writing; as such, the first texts he penned were articles about the Podkarpacie region to be edited by Lwów newspapers. In 1891, he moved to Lwów and started working in the editorial office of the "Przegląd Lwowski", a biweekly scientific, literary and political journal. In 1894, he opted for the editorial office of the "Dziennik Polski". There, he took over the department of culture and national affairs while working at the same time as a correspondent for other papers: During this period , he wrote his first book, "" ('). Issued in 1898, Antoni described in it the journalistic and literary milieu of the city. In 1902, he released "Życiorys Kościuszko" ('), which was a popular success. In 1903, he relocated to Kraków, where after several stints, he took the position of chief editor of the local print of Warsaw biweekly "Świat", just founded in 1906 by Stefan Krzywoszewski (1866-1950). Quickly he turned towards journalism, visiting Silesia, Wielkopolska and Pomerania. In 1909, Chołoniewski visited for the first time Gdańsk: he was sent by the editors of "Świat" in order to survey the situation of Poles  in these regions, so as to confirm the Germanization policy imposed by the authorities. In particular, he was a fervent champion of national Polish identity in the Western Borderlands. From 1913 onwards, he regularly advocated them in several of his publications. Chołoniewski was the first Polish journalist to draw the attention of the Polish public to Gdynia, then a small fishing village. Furthermore, he contributed to the establishment of the first boarding house for Polish holiday goers. He constantly highlighted the tensions in Wielkopolska and Pomerania and he expressed such thoughts in historical and political books. He penned his most  famous work in 1917: "Duch dziejów Polski" (""), immediately translated into German, French, English, Romanian and Bulgarian. After Poland regained independence, Antoni moved in 1919 to Sopot, then Gdańsk. In Sopot his wife Kamila bought buildings at then Sudstrasse 11-15 (today Grunwaldzka street) and Parkstrasse 6 (now Parkowa street) and opened there a guesthouse. At this time, Antoni worked on further widespreading the idea of Polish nationalism. His ideas exposed him to harassment from the side of the Senate of the Free City of Danzig, which was administrating independently the area since 1920. In the spring of 1921, the Senate  issued a decision to expel Antoni Chołoniewski from the territory of the Free City. As a consequence, he moved to Bydgoszcz, where he had been previously treated by a local doctor. In Bydgoszcz, Chołoniewski lived at 119 Gdańska Street. He resumed his journalistic activity devoted to "Polishness" in the Western Borderlands. Despite a deteriorating health, he published many articles, not only in his own magazine "Zmartwychwstanie" (') in 1922, but also in the Christian Democrat periodicals "Dziennik Bydgoski" (') and "Dziennik Poznański". During this period, he additionally contributed to the creation in Wąbrzeźno of the Polish National Institute (""), together with Stanisławe Jasiński  and Włodzimierz Tetmajer from Kraków. This organization, one of the first of its kind in the area, aimed at educating, publishing Polish press and literature and spreading Polish culture. In his last year, Antoni edited a bimonthly "Biblioteka Pomorska", dealing with art, science, literature and popular culture in Polish Pomerania. He passed away on May 13, 1924, in Bydgoszcz, after a long illness. He was buried in the Nowofarny Cemetery of Bydgoszcz: in 1987 his grave was liquidated. The authorities of Sopot seized Chołoniewskis' property before the outbreak of World War II and in March 1940, the buildings were demolished  and the area covered with grass. Out of the Chołoniewski's estate, only a small residential edifice is still preserved today at 11 Grunwaldzka street. He particularly championed the assimilation of Jews, fighting both Antisemitism and Jewish Autonomism.