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cultureinpoznan.pl News Around the world with Paweł Edmund Strzelecki
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Around the world with Paweł Edmund Strzelecki

Paweł Edmund Strzelecki stands as one of the greatest Polish travelers and explorers, acclaimed for being the first Pole to circumnavigate the world in the name of science.

Stereophotograph of a street in sepia colours: in the foreground two people carrying goods on their shoulders. Lane of buildings on the left. - grafika artykułu
China: Queen Street in Hong Kong, 1896 Strohmeyer & Wyman, publishers, courtesy of Library of Congress
Stereophotograph of a street in sepia colours: in the foreground two people carrying goods on their shoulders. Lane of buildings on the left.
Stereophotograph of an outdoor square in sepia colours: three people in a foreground - one carrying something resembling a clay vessel, one sitting on the ground and one standing next to him or her. Other people, a horse and a building with arcades as a background.
Stereophotograph of a street in sepia colours: people walking along the street in old-fashioned clothes, horsedriven cab on the street and a lane of buildings on the left.
Stereophotograph of a street in sepia colours: high palms in two rows, a horsedriven cab and buildings on both sides of the road.
Black and white stereophotograph of a cottage with white walls and straw roof. A few people in front of the cottage, a horse harnessed to a wooden cart and a pig near the horse.
Exhibition poster: black and white photo of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki. Under the photo information about the exhibition on pale pink background.

Born in 1797 in Głuszyna, which at the time was a village near Poznań, he spent his youth in Wielkopolska, Warsaw and Kraków. In 1834, he set out on a solitary journey around the world. He covered the first leg of his voyage from Liverpool to New York by sailing ship, a feat he remarkably achieved in 45 days.

Strzelecki set foot on all continents known during his time (Antarctica remained undiscovered until 1895). The endeavor took over nine years. During his research expeditions, he mostly traveled on foot. In Australia alone, he clocked in over 11,000 km bearing a twenty-kilogram backpack.

In the course of his research, Strzelecki discovered copper deposits in Canada, coal seams in Tasmania, and gold in Australia. He scaled and described the highest peak in Australia, Mount Kosciuszko, which rises to the height of 2228 meters above sea level.

A highly versatile scholar, he engaged in research encompassing geology, mineralogy, cartography, volcanology, meteorology, and even ethnography and paleontology during his expeditions. He was also known for having a heart of gold. During the Irish famine of 1845-1849, he volunteered to help the victims. His efforts coordinating humanitarian aid saved an estimated 200,000 lives of Irish children.

Paweł Edmund Strzelecki died in London on 6 October 1873 and was buried there. In 1997, on the bicentennial commemoration of his birth, his ashes were transported and deposited in the Crypt of Eminent Wielkopolska Citizens on Św. Wojciech Hill in Poznań. The year 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the traveler's passing. The exhibition in the Poznań Fotoplastykon is part of the celebrations of the Year of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki held at the initiative of the Sejm (the Lower Chamber of the Polish Parliament).

Szymon Wieczorek

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

The publishing house has made every effort to ascertain the ownership of copyrights to the images used in this exhibition. It stands ready to assist any rights holder in the event that any factual inaccuracies have inadvertently arisen.

  • Around the World with Paweł Edmund Strzelecki - an exhibition in the Poznań Fotoplastykon,
  • Centrum Informacji Kulturalnej (Cultural Information Centre), ul. F. Ratajczaka 44
  • 2.10.2023 - 31.01.2024; opening hours: Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday and holidays closed, last admission 1 hour before closing time
  • tickets: regular admission - 6 pln, reduced admission - 3 pln, family tickets - 12 pln, group tickets (groups of 10 or more) - 25 pln

© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2023