Maksymilian Nowicki
Encyclopedia
Maksymilian Siła-Nowicki (October 9, 1826 -October 30, 1890) was a Polish
zoology
professor and pioneer conservationist
in Austria
n Poland
, and father of the poet Franciszek Nowicki
. He was brother-in-law to Kraków University
law professor and rector Franciszek Kasparek
.
at Kraków University
(1863-90). In 1873, he was inducted into the Kraków
-based Academy of Learning
. Also in 1873, he co-founded the Tatras Society (Towarzystwo Tatrzańskie). In 1879, he founded the National Fishing Society (Krajowe Towarzystwo Rybackie). His greatest academic achievements were in entomology
, ichthyology
and ornithology
.
Nowicki sought to give a practical bent to his research
. He wrote: "In the interest of husbandry in this country, it is appropriate to develop a knowledge of animal
s that are harmful to husbandry... and of animals that are useful to [it]." It was chiefly thanks to him that the Galician Sejm
in 1868 passed a law protecting chamois
, marmot
s and Alpine
bird
s in the Tatra Mountains
.
Nowicki was the initiator of, and driving force behind, the Physiographic Commission (Komisja Fizjograficzna) of the Academy of Learning
, and was a member of many other learned societies.
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...
zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
professor and pioneer conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Poland
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...
, and father of the poet Franciszek Nowicki
Franciszek Nowicki
Franciszek Henryk Siła-Nowicki was a Young Poland poet, a mountaineer, socialist activist, and designer of the Orla Perć High Tatras mountain trail.-Life:...
. He was brother-in-law to Kraków University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
law professor and rector Franciszek Kasparek
Franciszek Kasparek
Franciszek Ksawery Kasparek was a Polish jurist, professor of law and rector of Kraków University, founder of the first chair in international law in Poland , and member of the Polish Academy of Learning in Kraków.He was the brother-in-law of biologist Professor Maksymilian Nowicki of Kraków...
.
Career
Nowicki began his career as a teacher in the countryside of eastern Galicia, and by dint of ambition and self-education eventually became a professor of zoologyZoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at Kraków University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
(1863-90). In 1873, he was inducted into the Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
-based Academy of Learning
Polish Academy of Learning
The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning , headquartered in Kraków, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of sciences....
. Also in 1873, he co-founded the Tatras Society (Towarzystwo Tatrzańskie). In 1879, he founded the National Fishing Society (Krajowe Towarzystwo Rybackie). His greatest academic achievements were in entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, ichthyology
Ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. This includes skeletal fish , cartilaginous fish , and jawless fish...
and ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
.
Nowicki sought to give a practical bent to his research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
. He wrote: "In the interest of husbandry in this country, it is appropriate to develop a knowledge of animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s that are harmful to husbandry... and of animals that are useful to [it]." It was chiefly thanks to him that the Galician Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
in 1868 passed a law protecting chamois
Chamois
The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe, including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand...
, marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s and Alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
.
Nowicki was the initiator of, and driving force behind, the Physiographic Commission (Komisja Fizjograficzna) of the Academy of Learning
Polish Academy of Learning
The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning , headquartered in Kraków, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of sciences....
, and was a member of many other learned societies.
See also
- Timeline of Polish science and technologyTimeline of Polish science and technologyEducation has been of prime interest to Poland's rulers since the early 12th century. The catalog of the library of the Cathedral Chapter in Kraków dating from 1110 shows that Polish scholars already then had access to western European literature. In 1364, King Kazimierz the Great founded the...
- List of Poles