Teofil Wincenty Żebrawski (; 5 April 1800 – 5 February 1887) was a Polish

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

bibliographer Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliograph ...

, architect,

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeol ...

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

and geodesist; an erudite and

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

. Pioneer of the modern Polish mathematical bibliography. He was an author of works mainly about road, iron road and bridge constructions,

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

and

entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

. Author of Polish, French and German dictionary of architecture, building engineering and materials science terms. Author and publisher of

Free City of Kraków The Free, Independent, and Strictly Neutral City of Cracow and its District, more commonly known as the Free City of Cracow () and the Republic of Cracow (), was a city republic created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which included the Poli ...

maps from 1833,

city map A city map is a large-scale thematic map of a city (or part of a city) created to enable the fastest possible orientation in an urban space. The graphic representation of objects on a city map is therefore usually greatly simplified, and reduce ...

of Kraków from 1834 and health resorts map of Galicia and Bukowina. Żebrawski derived the chain curve formula and applied it to the bridge arc calculations. He published a paper on the main causes of train derailment and its present methods. He introduced his own method of maps and map graticule classification. He researched and described changes in fauna of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

region. Żebrawski directed restorations of Dominicans Church in

, altars of St. Mary's Basilica and Royal Graves of the

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...

. Żebrawski was also a translator. His notable translations to

Polish language Polish (, , or simply , ) is a West Slavic languages, West Slavic language of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic subgroup, within the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is written in the Latin script. It is primarily spo ...

includes ''The Poems of Ossian'' originally written by

James Macpherson James Macpherson ( Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector, and politician. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...

and ''Diversarum Artium Schedula — Libri III'' by

Theophilus Presbyter Theophilus Presbyter (fl. c. 1070–1125) is the pseudonymous author or compiler of a Latin text containing detailed descriptions of various medieval arts, a text commonly known as the ''Schedula diversarum artium'' ("List of various arts") or ''D ...

. He participated in 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. ...

(1830–1831) as a

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

-Engineer (''

porucznik Porucznik (Por.) is a rank of the Polish Army, roughly equivalent to the military rank of the First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of ...

-inżynier'') of Józef Dwernicki corps and in the

Kraków Uprising The Kraków Uprising ( Polish: ''powstanie krakowskie'', ''rewolucja krakowska''; German: ''Krakauer Aufstand''; Russian: ''краковское восстание'') of 1846 was an attempt, led by Polish insurgents such as Jan Tyssowski and ...

(1846) as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(''kapitan'').

Biography

Żebrawski was born on 5 April 1800 in

Wojnicz Wojnicz () is an ancient historic town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. In the early medieval period of the Polish state, it became one of the most important centres in the province of Lesser Poland, as part of the system of Dunajec r ...

West Galicia New Galicia or West Galicia ( or ''Galicja Zachodnia''; or ''Westgalizien'') was an administrative region of the Habsburg monarchy, constituted from the territory annexed in the course of the Third Partition of Poland in 1795. The Austrian E ...

. In 1818 he graduated from Bartłomiej Nowodworski High School in Kraków. After that, he studied philosophy, nature, English

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

, mathematics and astronomy at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

in Kraków, and mining, building engineering and topography at the Szkoła Akademiczno-Górnicza in

Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...

. In 1832 he graduated doctor of philosophy and liberal science at the Jagiellonian University. In the years of 1832–1834 he worked as a lecturer and then adjunct of the Natural History and Botanics Department at the Jagiellonian University. In 1837–1853 he worked as a land and water transport inspector of Kraków. In 1830s, Żebrawski designed and built a road through the Free City of Kraków with two bridges over Krzeszówka and Dłubnia. Between 1825 and 1831, he made a

triangulation In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by forming triangles to the point from known points. Applications In surveying Specifically in surveying, triangulation involves only angle m ...

Dobrzyń Land Dobrzyń Land () is a historical region in central-northern Poland. It lies northeast of the Vistula River, south of the Drwęca, and west of the Skrwa. The territory approximately corresponds with the present-day powiats of Lipno, Rypin, and ...

Pułtusk Pułtusk () is a town in Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it has a population of 19,224 as of 2023. Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in length), it is a po ...

obwód Obwód (plural ''obwody'') is a term used in Polish to denote administrative districts in various countries, particularly as a translation of the Russian ''oblast''. As administrative subdivisions of Poland itself, obwody existed as subdivisions of ...

Świętokrzyskie Mountains The Świętokrzyskie Mountains (, ), often anglicized to Holy Cross Mountains, are a mountain range in central Poland, near the city of Kielce. The mountain range comprises several lesser ranges, the highest of which is Łysogóry (literally ...

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...

region, regions between

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 ...

Włodawa Włodawa () is a town in eastern Poland on the Bug River, close to the borders with Belarus and Ukraine. It is the seat of Włodawa County, situated in the Lublin Voivodeship. it has a population of 13,500. Geography The town lies along the borde ...

and Bug, and Wilno Governorate region. Part of these measurements were used in the 1839 map of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. In 1866, he became a member of the Kraków Science Society (''Towarzystwo Naukowe Krakowskie'') and in 1872, member of the

Academy of Learning Academy of Learning (; AU) was a primary Polish scientific institution during the annexation of Poland established in 1871. It was founded in Kraków as a continuation of the ''Kraków Scientific Society'' (''Towarzystwo Naukowe Krakowskie''). Th ...

(''Akademia Umiejętności''). He died in Kraków on 5 February 1887.

Notable works

* ''O sieciach do kart geograficznych, astronomicznych i morskich'' (1831) * ''Dopełnienie dawnej bibliografii polskiej'' (1838) * ''O moście wiszący'' (1841)
''Początkowe wiadomości z geometryi dla praktycznego użytku. Część I. Planimetryja''
(1849) * ''O przyczynach wykolejenia pociągów na drogach żelaznych i środkach zapobieżania temu'' (1850) * ''Wiadomość o bożyszczu słowiańskim znalezionym w Zbruczu'' (1858) * ''Owady łuskoskrzydłe, czyli motylowate z okolic Krakowa'' (1860) * ''Wiadomość o Adamie Kochańskim i pismach jego matematycznych'' (1862) * ''Nasze zabytki'' (1865–1871) * ''Bibliografija piśmiennictwa polskiego z działu matematyki i fizyki oraz ich zastósowań'' (1873) * ''Słownik wyrazów technicznych tyczących się budownictwa'' (1883) * ''Dodatki do bibliografii piśmiennictwa polskiego z działu matematyki i fizyki oraz ich zastósowań'' (1886)

References

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zebrawski, Teofil 1800 births 1887 deaths People from Tarnów County Jagiellonian University alumni People from the Free City of Kraków Polish bibliographers November Uprising participants 19th-century Polish archaeologists Polish biologists Polish cartographers Polish engineers Polish entomologists Polish geodesists 19th-century Polish mathematicians 19th-century Polish philosophers Polish publishers (people) English–Polish translators Latin–Polish translators 19th-century Polish translators 19th-century Polish architects