Feliks Hilary Ludwik Michał Sobański (born 11 January 1833 nr. Hajsyn

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

- died 29 November 1913

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a Polish landowner, social activist, supporter of the arts and philanthropist. He was awarded the hereditary title of 'count' by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. His name is associated with the grand palace and grounds in Guzów in

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Background

He was born into a Polish family of

magnates The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

. He was the youngest of four and the only son of Ludwik

Sobański The Sobański, plural: Sobańscy, feminine form: Sobańska is a Polish noble family. The family originated from Masovia, taking their name from the village Sobania and Sobanice in the land of Wyszogród and Ciechanów. Connected with the families ...

(1791-1837) and his wife, Róża, née Łubieńska, daughter of Feliks Lubienski and

Tekla Teresa Lubienska Tekla is a software product family that consists of programs for analysis and design, detailing and project communication. Tekla software is produced by Trimble, the publicly listed US-based technology company. History , Tekla Corporation ...

. His father fell foul of the Russian authorities due to his dissident stance and was sentenced to years of

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. His mother, at great personal risk, went to persistent lengths to aid her husband and others similarly banished. She used official means to bring them practical relief sending food parcels and correspondence. When the Russians cut off these supplies, she took to more clandestine methods. This earned her the

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

, ''Siberian Rose''. Ludwik Sobański's ordeals affected his health; he died at 46 years of age when Feliks was barely four. Feliks' eldest surviving sister, Paulina (b.1824), married Adolf Jełowicki (1809-1891), veteran officer of the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

in Podolia. Sobański attended school in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. He did not go on to university, but travelled instead. While he was staying in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

in 1852 a

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

epidemic broke out. With his kinsman, Ogiński, he set up a field hospital and helped to treat the victims. On his return to his home province, he was set to administer the family estates in Obodówką and Wasylówką. He was a member of the committee working to abolish

Serfdom in Poland Serfdom in Poland was a legal and economic system that bound the peasant population to hereditary plots of land owned by the ''szlachta'', or Polish nobility. Emerging from the 12th century, this system became firmly established by the 16th centu ...

, which eventually happened in 1864 in the

Russian Partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

In 1857 he married Emilia Łubieńska, a cousin. They had two sons, Michał and Kazimierz and a daughter, Wiktoria. From 1857 onwards, having acquired it at auction, he ran the vast 6,000 hectare estate of Guzów. It was a sale arising out of the confiscation of his and his wife's uncle Henryk's property due to charges of fraud. Following the death in 1869 of his relative, Eustachy Jełowicki, another November Uprising veteran, Sobański became the legal guardian of his five children.

Career

Sobański (like his father before him) was elected marshal of the nobility for the district of

Bracław Bratslav (, ; ) is a rural settlement in Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east a ...

(in present-day

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). When in 1862 his colleagues decided at an assembly in

Kamieniec Podolski Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

to seek to join the counties of Podolia and

Wołyń Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in Ukraine it is roughly ...

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, he opposed the idea, but was out voted. Representations were therefore despatched to the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

authorities. As a result, all the marshals were suspended from office, including Sobański, and were taken on remand to the

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress () is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. They were charged with

Sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...

. He was sentenced by decree of the

Russian Senate The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the lower house being the State Duma. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993 ...

to exile in the depths of Russia. He was later allowed to move to Odessa and, finally, given leave to return to Podolia. Following his release he travelled to France. While in

, he was caught up in the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870. He arranged with the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

to hire an ambulance and personally assisted in the removal of the wounded from the battlefield. Between 1872 and 1885 he concentrated on estate and rural matters. He invested huge sums in rebuilding and refashioning the

Guzów Palace Guzów may refer to the following places in Poland: *Guzów, Lubusz Voivodeship (west Poland) *Guzów, Szydłowiec County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) *Guzów, Żyrardów County in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) {{geodi ...

, turning it into a French renaissance-style palace with a park in the English style. He was also concerned with the welfare of rural workers. In 1875, he became a co-founder of the Museum of Industry and Agriculture in Warsaw (whose vice-president he would remain until 1913). That same year, joined the committee of the Warsaw arts academy, the Zachęta. He ran an architectural competition under its auspices in 1878 to design a parish church for the

Mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe ...

Żyrardów Żyrardów is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Żyrardów County in the Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw. Etymology Żyrardów, initially a textile settleme ...

, for which he donated the land. Also with the arts academy, he sponsored scholarships for young artists. He was involved in the

Stanisław Moniuszko Stanisław Moniuszko (; May 5 (17), 1819 – June 4, 1872) was a Polish composer, conductor, organist and pedagogue. He wrote many popular art songs and operas, including '' The Haunted Manor'' and '' Halka'', and his music is filled with patr ...

Music Society, which raised funds to aid the impoverished composer. Sobański financed an extensive portfolio of church and other buildings and monuments, such as in

Radziwiłłów Radziwiłłów is a Polish toponym referring to the Radziwiłł noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wie ...

, the chapel in Guzów, restorations in Obodówka and

Wiskitki Wiskitki is a town in Żyrardów County, Masovian Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Wiskitki. It is located approximately north-west of Żyrardów and west of Warsaw. The town ha ...

, paying for three marble altars to be brought from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

for the church of St. Augustine in Warsaw or the restoration of the

Sigismund's Column Sigismund's Column (), originally erected in 1644, is located at Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland and is one of Warsaw's most famous landmarks as well as the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history. The column and statue c ...

. He also funded travel bursaries for seminarians studying for the priesthood in Warsaw. He was rewarded in 1880 with a hereditary title of nobility from Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

Foundations

Among his other philanthropic projects were: * Headquarters and lodgings in Warsaw of a charity for disabled people, later expanded for: * Single women and a home for orphans * Catholic nursery in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

* Cottage hospital in Guzów for free treatment for tenant farmers and estate workers * A secondary agricultural school in Obodówka, overseen by the local farmers' association * A teacher training college in

Ursynów Ursynów () is a district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It has an area of 43.79 km2 (16.88 sq mi), and in 2023, it was inhabited by 149,775 people, making it the 5th most populous and 3rd largest district of the city. Located in its western ...

Later years

Sobański supported financially many social institutions in his homeland as well as in Paris, where there was a substantial Polish diaspora and where he settled for the last dozen years of his life. He participated in the cultural life of the capital and joined the

Historical and Literary Society The Historical and Literary Society, (, ) a successor organisation to the Literary Society, was founded in Paris in 1832 as a Polish political and cultural association by a group that included Alexandre Walewski, Napoleon's natural son and future ...

there. His final bounty was to give 100,000 roubles to the Polish rural workers retirement fund and 30,000 roubles to buy potatoes for the rural poor of Galicia suffering a period of famine. He died in Paris 1913 and was buried in the crypt of the church of St. Augustin. His remains were transferred to Obodówka in Podolia, shortly after the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, but border controls prevented his family from abroad attending the interment.biogram Feliksa Sobańskiego z Centralnej Biblioteki Rolniczej w Warszawie: http://www.cbr.edu.pl/rme-archiwum/2005/rme8/stronki/2.html

References

Gallery

File:Obodowka.jpg, Sobański palace in Obodówka (Ukraine) File:Guzow palace north cm01.jpg,

before restoration File:Wnętrze kościół św. Augustyna w Warszawie.JPG, St. Augustine's church,

. File:Saint-Augustin Church Altar 1, Paris, France - Diliff.jpg, Saint-Augustin church

, Sobański's first burial place File:Zyrardow kosciol MBP.jpg,

- Church of the Blessed Virgin File:POL Warsaw Zygmunt`s Column 2008 (1).JPG, King

, Warsaw File:Muzeum Przemysłu i Rolnictwa w Warszawie 1908.jpg, Warsaw Museum of Industry and Agriculture, c. 1908 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sobanski, Feliks Hilary Polish exiles in the Russian Empire 20th-century Polish landowners Polish philanthropists People from Żyrardów County

Feliks Feliks is a variant spelling of the given name Felix, used in Poland and the Baltic states, as well as in the transliteration of the name Felix from Russian. Feliks may refer to: *Feliks Ankerstein (1897–1955), Polish Army major and intellige ...