Sokrates Starynkiewicz (1820–1902; russian: Сократ Иванович Старынкевич) was a Russian general and the 19th

president of Warsaw The city mayor of Warsaw, or more literally the ''city president of Warsaw'' (the official title in Polish is ''"prezydent miasta stołecznego Warszawy"'', literal translation ''"president of the capital city of Warsaw"'') is the head of the exec ...

, between 1875 and 1892. During his presidency he ordered the construction of municipal water works as well as the tramway and telephone network in Warsaw.

Biography

Sokrates Starynkiewicz was born on 18 December 1820 in

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog The ...

at the

Azov Sea The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...

, to the family of Ivan Starynkiewicz, a bank owner. In 1836 he joined the

Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...

army and graduated from several engineering and artillery schools. After promotion to officer rank he served in various staff posts. Among others, he took part in the Hungarian Campaign and

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, for which he was promoted to colonel in 1858. In 1863, during the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

he was retired. Soon afterwards he was promoted to major general and assigned to the Russian Ministry of Interior. Between 1868 and 1871 he was briefly the military governor of

Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...

, but he left that post and became the governor of

Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato Count Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato (russian: link=no, Анатолий Николаевич Демидов; 5 April OS: 24 March 1813 – 29 April 1870) was a Russian industrialist, diplomat and arts patron of th ...

's estates near

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

and in

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

. On 18 November 1875 he was appointed the 19th president of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. Although at first he was considered yet another Russian official assigned to govern a Polish city, he soon became known as a great organiser and engineer. He was also a good economist and during his presidency the city's treasury more than tripled. He became particularly popular with the Varsavians after he started to consult most of his decisions with the press, a thing that was uncommon in 19th century Russia. Among the most notable public works started by Starynkiewicz were the horse-drawn

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way net, the first

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

lines and

Bródno cemetery :''You may also be looking for the Bródno Jewish Cemetery.'' Bródno cemetery ( pl, Cmentarz Bródnowski) is an old cemetery in the Targówek district, in the eastern part of Warsaw, Poland. Occupying an area of , it is the largest cemetery in Wa ...

. In 1886, he ordered the creation of the first modern sewer and

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

network, with the main hub located in the Koszyki area. In 1889 he started the ''Plantation Committee'', which turned many Warsaw's squares and streets into parks. Between 1891 and 1892 more than 2500 trees were planted, 13 parks were refurbished and 47 streets and squares were turned into green areas for all inhabitants of Warsaw. In addition, in 1896 a new

Park Ujazdowski A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

was created which remains until now one of the most popular and picturesque parks in Warsaw. Starynkiewicz also introduced modern gas street lighting, built a modern marketplace and started construction and paving of streets in the city centre. Finally, he ordered two

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

es (in 1882 and 1892). He retired on 6 October 1892. He decided to stay in Warsaw, where he took active part in various philanthropic societies and organisations, including the ''Cheap Kitchens Society'' which provided the poorest inhabitants with food. He died in Warsaw on 23 August

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

. The funeral procession was watched by hundreds of thousands of Varsovians from all walks of life. He is buried in the

Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw The Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw ( pl, Cmentarz Prawosławny w Warszawie) is an historic Eastern Orthodox cemetery located in the Wola district of Warsaw, Poland. History In 1834 the first Orthodox parish was established in Warsaw and a decision w ...

, the Warsaw borough of

Wola Wola (, ) is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into an office (co ...

References

* Stanisław Milewski
Jak Rosjanin Warszawę cywilizował...
Histmag, 2013-03-29 {{DEFAULTSORT:Starynkiewicz, Sokrates 1820 births 1902 deaths Military personnel from Taganrog People from Yekaterinoslav Governorate Imperial Russian Army generals Mayors of Warsaw Government officials of Congress Poland

Biography

See also

References