Jan Krzysztof Kluk
Encyclopedia
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...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
and entomologist.
He was the son of Jan Krzysztof and Marianna Elżbieta. His father, a nobleman turned poor, was an architect, mainly of churches. Jan Krzysztof Kluk went to school in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, later in Drohiczyn
Drohiczyn
Drohiczyn is a small historic town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town with population 2,110 is situated on a bank of the Bug River.- History :...
, and finally in the Piarists school in Łuków. In 1763 he finished his Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
for missionaries in the Holy Cross Church
Holy Cross Church, Warsaw
The Church of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic house of worship in downtown Warsaw, Poland. Located on Krakowskie Przedmieście opposite the main Warsaw University campus, it is one of the most notable Baroque churches in Poland's capital....
of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. From 1763-67 he was a domestic chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
attached to the noble household of Tomasza Ossolińskiego, the starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
of Nur. From 1767-70 he was the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Winna, he later became vicar of the parish of Ciechanowiec, a position he kept until his death.
e was a man with universal interests, but first of all was known as naturalist studying mainly the regions of Podlaskie and Masovia. He had great abilities in drawing and engraving, which permitted him to illustrate his later works.
Princess Anna Jabłonowska gave him access to the great library and natural science collections in her palace of Siemiatycze
Siemiatycze
Siemiatycze is a town in north-eastern Poland, with 15,209 inhabitants . It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship ; previously it was in Białystok Voivodeship . It is the capital of Siemiatycze County....
. Many of his published works made breakthrough in contemporary Polish natural sciences and agricultural.
He lived all his life and died in Ciechanowiec
Ciechanowiec
Ciechanowiec is a small town in Wysoczyzna Drohiczyńska, Gmina Ciechanowiec, Wysokie Mazowieckie County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland.Alternate names used in the past or currently include Tshekhanovits Yiddish, Tsekhanovets Russian, Chechanovitz, Chekhanovits, Chekhanovitse, Rudelstadt and...
. He was a Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
, and vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Ciechanowiec. Kluk described several taxa of Lepidoptera including the Holarctic Nymphalis
Nymphalis
Nymphalis, commonly known as Tortoiseshells, is a genus of brush-footed butterflies. The genera Aglais, Inachis, Polygonia, and Kaniska, are sometimes included as subgenera of Nymphalis but they are usually considered to be unique genera. See also Anglewing butterflies...
, the South American genus Heliconius
Heliconius
Heliconius comprise a colorful and widespread brush-footed butterfly genus distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World. These butterflies utilize Passion flower plants as their larval food source and rely on bright wing color patterns to signal their distastefulness...
, and the genus Danaus
Danaus (genus)
Danaus, commonly called Tigers, Milkweeds, Monarchs, and Queens, is a genus of butterflies in the tiger butterfly tribe. They are found worldwide, including North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Indonesia and Australia...
in which is placed the monarch.
There is a Krzysztof Kluk Museum of Agriculture in Ciechanowiec.
Works
He wrote a multi-volume work Zwierząt domowych i dzikich, osobliwie krajowych historii naturalnej początki i gospodarstwo (in English The natural history of domestic and national (Polish) wild animals and animals of the farm) published in WarszawaWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
in 1780. Another notable Kluk's work in three volumes entitled Dykcjonarz roślinny... (in English Dictionary of Plants) was published from 1786 to 1788 in Warsaw (volume I - 1786, volume II - 1787, volume III - 1788). The Dictionary contains entries in Latin alphabetical order that comprise 1,536 species of plants of Polish and foreign origin. Importantly, not only Latin but also Polish names were given.
Publications about Jan Krzysztof Kluk
Prof. Gabriel Brzęk wrote several biographical books about Jan Krzysztof Kluk:- Krzysztof Kluk jako szermierz postępowych idei społecznych polskiego Oświecenia (1958)
- Krzysztof Kluk (1739-1796) jako przyrodnik polskiego oświecenia (1973)
- Krzysztof Kluk (1977)