Andrzej Kotula was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 lawyer and activist from Cieszyn Silesia

Cieszyn Silesia

Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...

.

He was son of Józef, peasant. Kotula finished gymnasium

Gymnasium (school)

A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...

 in Cieszyn and philosophical high school in Pressburg

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

. In 1848 he graduated in law from the University of Vienna

University of Vienna

The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...

. In the same year Kotula participated in Slavic Convention in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

.

Later he worked as a clerk in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 and notary in Frysztat. In 1867 Kotula came back to Cieszyn, where he ran his notary office until his death. He collaborated with Tygodnik Cieszyński

Tygodnik Cieszynski

Tygodnik Cieszyński was a weekly Polish magazine published in Cieszyn in 1848-1851. It was the first local magazine in Cieszyn Silesia.The first issue appeared on 6 May 1848. The publisher was Ludwik Klucki, first editor was Andrzej Cinciała, who was in August replaced by Paweł Stalmach...

and Gwiazdka Cieszyńska

Gwiazdka Cieszynska

Gwiazdka Cieszyńska was a weekly Polish magazine published in Cieszyn in 1851-1939. After 1906 it appeared biweekly. It succeeded Tygodnik Cieszyński magazine which appeared in 1848-1851....

magazines. Kotula was interested in botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

- he was collecting plants, mushrooms, beetles and butterflies.

He was secretary of Czytelnia Ludowa, member of several organizations and one of the founders of Macierz Szkolna Księstwa Cieszyńskiego. Kotula wrote poems, fairy tales and ballads.

His sons were botanist Bolesław, engineer Andrzej and bookseller and publisher Jerzy.