Gimnazjum nr 2 im Stanisława Szymańskiego w Zawierciu

ENGINEER
STANISLAW SZYMANSKI

The Managing Director of the Joint Stock Company 'Zawiercie', an eminent educational and cultural activist, a community worker and a patriot.
 

      He was born in Kalisz in 1870. He graduated studies with a Doctor of Technical Science Degree. He was the Managing Director of the Joint-stock Company since 1907. He lived in a director's villa in 2 Fr. Szymanskiego Street in Zawiercie, currently called 'Pałacyk Szymańskiego'. The villa was situated near the park, with a big garden, a greenhouse, an orangery and several outbuildings (the place for cabs and a stable). From the south-west side it was surrounded by a big pond, where a small river called 'Młynówka' had its outlet. Over the river there was a bridge leading to Sienkiewicza Street and to the church. From the north-west side there was an entrance to the square, filled with flower beds and lawns in front of the villa.
    However, due to the building of the Recreational and Sport Center in 1960s, the infrastructure of the surroundings was changed. The ponds were buried and there was only the villa with a part of the park left as a monument. There were several institutions such as: Local library in Zawiercie, Social Music center, Local Museum room, and in its former basements there was a Students' Club ' Novum' opened under the patronage of TMZZ. Nowadays, there is a café.
    The Director Stanislaw Szymanski was in charge of the biggest TAZ factory in Zawiercie Duże. There were 6 thousand workers employed in the factory in 1906. He had his deputies to help him with the management: Marcin Ginsberg (Sales and Purchases Director) and Seweryn Wesołowski ( administrative director). The first Management Board of the Joint-stock Company 'Zawiercie' was composed of: count Jan Zamojski, later count Tomasz Zamojski- the president and its members: Mieczysław Epstein (the President of Warsaw Discount Bank and Warsaw Stock Exchange Committee), Bernard and Adolf Ginsberg (former owners of the factory) and A. Lampert. It was the first joint-stock company in the textile industry in the Kingdom of Poland. The board and the offices of the company were in Warsaw in 7 Nowy Świat Street and in 7 Królewska Street. The main sales storehouse was in Łódź in 8 Zielona Street and other storehouses were located in Warsaw.
     From the very beginning of his staying in Zawiercie, Szymanski took an active part in many fields of life such as patriotic and social, charity, cultural and educational. He was also very active during a very difficult period of country's independence, with different restrictions, first from Russian invaders and during the I WW from German invaders. At this time, it fell to him to give a patriotic speech on 12th December 1907. The reason for it was the celebration of putting into use a new school built by TAZ and consecrating it by a parish priest Franciszek Zientara. It was the most beautiful school building in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie. A newly-built school consisted of 22 classrooms and had its own central heating, electrical lighting, sewage system, water works, a telephone, an electrical bell and a cinematograph. Stanislaw Szymanski was in charge of the teaching staff consisting of 27 teachers and, above all, he was its caring tutor. During his directorial term other public building were put into use: Local Bath House, Folk House Włókniarz. He was also devoted to tourism. On 4th June 1910 he participated in establishing the first branch of Polish Tourist Association in Zawiercie, of which he was the president. It was composed of 66 members- patriotic intelligentsia from Zawiercie Małe i Duże. At the same time the Trip Committee was set up. There, people gave talks, speeches and reports about great Poles and Polish patriots. The Association thrived until the I WW broke out. Then it resumed its activity in an independent Poland. In 1927 the Castle Ruins and Zawiercie District Monuments Welfare Organization was set up. The president of the organization was also Stanislaw Szymanski. He took part in socio-cultural meetings, concerts and festivals. He participated in the activity of Resursa Obywatelska of the workers of the Joint- Stock Company 'Zawiercie' (registrated on 23rd February 1902). In 1910 he was appointed to the position of the president of that company. He provided favourable conditions for the development of children artistic groups in TAZ school as well as the qualified staff for conducting children music and choral group. This group was conducted by R. Lamparski, the teacher from TAZ school. It performed national and patriotic works at school as well as in the Folk House for the society of Zawiercie. Szymanski worked also for the needy. In 1910, he became a co-founder of the Christian Charity Association, of which he was the president until 1931 ( his successor was Konrad Pasierbiński). The Association subsidized poor children, orphans and unemployed families from Zawiercie.
    Due to the outbreak of the First World War most of the factories in Zawiercie were forced to suspend their work. Thousand of people were left with nothing to live on. On 14th September 1914 a free canteen was set up in the Folk House and it worked there for two years (the main activist in the board of it was Stanislaw Szymanski). Around one million of free dinners was served within one year. All costs were covered by TAZ and the Christian Charity Association. Among the workers of the canteen board were: Józef Brzeziński, Jan Pasierbiński, Bronislaw Szulc. The dinners were served by people coming from intelligentsia of Zawiercie e.g. Helena Malczewska. From March 1916 the canteen was managed by the Local Tutelary Council. It was chaired by doctor Józef Brzeziński and the members were: Stanislaw Szymanski, a priest Franciszek Zientara, Helena Malczewska, Jan Pasierbiński, Seweryn Wesołowski and others. The help was given to everybody who needed it, regardless of religion or origin. However earlier, on 26th February 1916, Stanislaw Szymanski had been appointed the president of the District tutelary Council with its headquarter in Sosnowiec. It was quite important as it subsidized the Local Tutelary Councils in many towns.
     At the time of German occupation (1915-1918), after Zawiercie had been granted the city rights (1915), a governor of Będzin District - Buchting appointed the first councilors. Stanislaw Szymanski was among them. He was also the chairman of the first City Council in Zawiercie. He was the member of the City Board together with two German mayors- Ernest Erbe and Marcin Ginsberg.
    The governor of Będzin District- Buchting appointed the first Polish mayor (Franciszek Szymanski) on 28th February 1918. However, he fell into disfavour of German authorities when he removed German language from the municipal council protocols and introduced Polish as an official language. By means of it, he expressed his patriotism and national proud.
     Moreover, on 5th March the municipal council passed the protest concerning the peace treaty in Brześć. It was signed by Franciszek Szymanski, Stanislaw Szymanski, Marcin Ginsberg, Ignacy Banachiewicz and Jan Rok.
    After Poland had regained its independence, the Polish Government Commissioner (for Będzin District) appointed Franciszek Szymanski to the position of the mayor of Zawiercie.
     Stanislaw Szymanski was strongly attached to school and education of young people. For many years he was the president of the Parents Guidance Circle in private male junior high school 'Szkoła Średnia' in Zawiercie. The members of the circle were the following people: Włodzimierz Sulima Popiel (the manager of the Tax Office in Zawiercie), Professor Stanislaw Rączka and Z. Statter. Szymanski contributed to the establishment of Female Teaching College in Zawiercie (1916), he also played an important part in gathering financial resources ( from the Civil Disarmament of German Committee in Warsaw and Polish School and Help Committee in Vewej (Switzerland). 
    On the basis of regulations concerning the municipal government (from 7th February 1919), Zawiercie gained the possibility to be governed by a president. The first President of Zawiercie was Władysław Tuwam.
    In 1919 a municipal body of the School Inspection was formed. Its task was to supervise work of all schools in Zawiercie, regardless of religion. The Inspection consisted of people chosen from different types of schools, a school inspector, the president of the city, a rabbi, a priest Franciszek Zientara and Stanislaw Szymanski. The first president of the School Inspection was priest Bolesław Wajzler (the headmaster of the Female Teaching College in Zawiercie). His successor was Stanislaw Szymanski- the Managing Director of TAZ, and he held this post for several years. Furthermore, he was either a member or a president of many social organizations e.g. the president of the Supervisory Board of Savings and Loans Company, the member of the board of the District School Circle in Zawiercie, the president of the Voluntary Fire Brigade in TAZ. He was a leading activist of the local Christian Democracy and he had some connections in the central board of that party in Warsaw.
     Stanislaw Szymanski was the most known and distinguished person in Zawiercie at the time of the I WW as well as in the interwar period. He came to Zawiercie from Warsaw and he left it around 1935 at the age of 73. He died on 23rd April 1944 at the age of 82 and was buried on Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw (on 10th May 1944). His noble deeds reflect his great patriotism and impeccable civil conduct. It can be proved by various notes left in the protocols of the School Inspection (1919-31), photographs from the TAZ school's guest book (currently Junior High School No 2). There are also some documents, which can confirm Stanislaw Szymanski's work in the Local Museum Room, which is now situated in 'Pałacyk'. All the students, Parents Council and Teachers Council from Junior High School No 2 chose Stanislaw Szymanski to be the PATRON OF THE SCHOOL.
     In accordance with the City Council's resolution no XIX/222/04 from 4th April 2004 the patron was approved and our school's name was changed into Stanislaw Szymanski's Junior High School No 2 in Zawiercie.
    The history of the school building is well described in the book published on 15th June 2004.

EDUCATION-HOMELAND-PATRIOTISM-REGIONALISM

Tłum. mgr Aleksandra Wojtaszczyk

15.06.2004 r. Junior High School No 2 Has Been Named After Stanislaw Szymanski

Polecamy