Felicjan Sypniewski - a Greater Poland Region resident and an unusual scientist
The future scientist was born in difficult times for Polish science, on 24 January 1822 in Piotrowo near Poznan.
He came from Odrowąż Sypniewscy family, who settled down in Greater Poland Region in XVI century. Felicjan’s parents were Stanislaw Sypniewski and Anna Powelska.
Young Sypniewski attended the Maria Magadelna Secondary School in Poznan.
About 1840 after graduating from the ‘sekunda’ class, he undergone farming training in the property of Truskalowo and in 1842 he joined the 2-year Agricultural University in Resk. Then he studied natural science in Berlin for several years, but he did not receive the degree.
After the end of his education, Sypniewski settled down in his property in Piotrowo.
Next years passed on his self-education and realization of hobbies connected with getting to know Polish nature.
Sypniewski extended the library with the collection of entomology and malacology works. He collected a lot of plant and animal specimens. He had a big collection of butterflies of Wielkie Ksiestwo Poznanskie (over 10,000 specimens). He described spiders, mosses, seaweeds and also dealt with works concerning mammoths.
His work about diatoms made such a huge impression in the world of science that the dean of Philosophy Department at the Jagiellonian University suggested that he took the Zoology Department. The modest scientist refused because of the lack of the scientist degree.
In his family property he also dealt with gardening , education of future gardeners, medicine, philosophy and art.
As he was admired for his work and enjoyed an excellent reputation in the environment of Greater Poland naturalists, he became the first president of PTPN after coming into existence its natural department in Poznan.
Felicjan Sypniewski’s friends remembered him like this:
His collections will (…) resemble the man who tried to extend science with his love of knowledge and country, he extended the science as he had a conviction that it is the basis of development and country’s prosperity.
(Translation – Aleksandra Krzyżańska, grade 3a, 2011)
