Karol Podczaszyński

{{Short description|Polish architect}}

{{infobox person

|name = Karol Podczaszyński

|birth_date = {{birth date|1790|11|07|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Žyrmuny, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

|death_date = {{death date and age|1860|04|19|1790|11|07|df=yes}}

|death_place = Vilnius, Russian Empire

|occupation = Architect

|education = Krzemieniec Lyceum
Imperial Academy of Arts

|alma_mater = Vilnius University

|nationality = Polish

|resting_place = Rasos Cemetery, Vilnius

}}

Image:Evangelican Church Vilnius.jpg in Vilnius, the finest work of Podczaszyński]]Image:Jašiūnai manor.jpg in the 19th century]]

File:Tuskulenai_Manor_in_Vilnius_(2008-08-08).jpg palace]]{{commons category|Karol Podczaszyński}}

Karol Podczaszyński ({{langx|lt|Karolis Podčašinskis}}; 7 November 1790 – 19 April 1860) was a Polish-Lithuanian leading Vilnius architect, a representative of the neoclassical architecture and a professor of the Vilnius University, as well as one of the pioneers of industrial design.{{Cite web |last=Levandauskas |first=Vytautas |title=Karolis Podčašinskis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/karolis-podcasinskis/ |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=VLE |language=lt}}{{Cite book |last=Stowarzyszenie Historyków Sztuki |first=Association of Art Historians |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lwwtAQAAIAAJ&q=karol+podczaszy%C5%84ski+polish |title=Biuletyn historii sztuki |date=2004 |publisher=Instytut Sztuki PAN - Polish Academy of Sciences |pages=371 |language=pl |quote=Its first Polish student was Karol Podczaszyński , who in 1816 was called back to Vilna to take up a lectureship in architecture..}}{{Cite book |last=Chełmońska |first=Marja Korwin-Szymanowska |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6phOAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA22 |title=Album biograficzne zasłużonych Polaków i Polek wieku XIX - A biographical album of distinguished Poles of the XIX |date=1901 |publisher=Nakł. Maryi Chełmońskiej |language=pl}}{{Cite book |last=McLachlan |first=Gordon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pDdqGoXvSvYC&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA45 |title=Lithuania |date=2008 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-84162-228-6 |pages=45 |language=en |quote=The Neo-Classical style continued to flourish in Vilnius until well into the 19th century, when the leading architect was Karol Podczaszyński (1790-1860), whose finest work is the Reformed Church.}}{{Cite book |last=Kirkor |first=Adam Honory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbTiAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA201 |title=Przewodnik historyczny po Wilnie i jego okolicach |date=1880 |publisher=Wydawn. Danuta i Jan Kucharscy |language=pl}}{{Cite book |last=Suchodolski |first=Bogdan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FxVKAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia |title=Historia nauki polskiej - History of Polish science |date=1977 |publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich |isbn=978-83-7545-610-3 |pages=176 |language=pl}}

He was born on 7 November 1790 in the village of Žyrmuny near Lida, in what is now the Grodno Region of Belarus. He graduated from the prestigious Polish Krzemieniec Lyceum and the Vilnius University. Between 1814 and 1816 he continued his studies on architecture in St. Petersburg, where he became the first Pole on the Imperial Academy of Arts. Between 1817 and 1819 Podczaszyński also travelled around European countries, visiting Königsberg, Danzig, Berlin, Paris, Naples, Venice and Vienna before returning to Cracow. Upon his return to Vilnius in 1819, he was offered a chair of architecture, which he accepted.{{Cite book |last=ŁUKASZEWICZ |first=Lesław |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uY9aAAAAcAAJ&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA806 |title=większe uzupełnione i doprowadzone do roku 1860 |date=1860 |language=pl}}{{Cite book |last=Kallenbach |first=Józef |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKADAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA56 |title=Czasy i ludzie |date=1905 |publisher=Nakład Gebethnera i Wolffa |pages=56 |language=pl}}

Among his most notable architectural works are the refurbishment of the interior of the Vilna University (1802-1804), including the Aula's interior, Evangelical Reformers' Church (1829-1835) and the neoclassical Jan Śniadecki's manor in Jašiūnai (reconstructed between 1824 and 1828). Yet another of Podczaszyński's major works was the neo-Palladian Tusculanum manor (in modern Žirmūnai, Vilnius), completed in 1825.{{Cite web |title=Castles and Manors of Lithuania: Architectural Journey |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/castles_and_manors_of_lithuania__architectural_journey/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=baltictimes.com |quote=Podczaszyński (1790–1860 m.), a representative of the late Vilnius Classicism and a student of Gucevičius, designed manors 1824 to 1828. One of his most famous works is Tuskulėnai Manor in Vilnius, built around 1825. The rectangular one-storey manor with volumetric composition radiates restrained classics.}} The entire Žirmūnai microdistrict in Vilnius was named after his native village, a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the time of his birth.

As a noted architect, Podczaszyński also supervised a number of other projects, among them the reconstruction of the Palace of Governors in Vilnius, carried out by Vasily Stasov.{{Cite book |last1=Cohen-Mushlin |first1=Aliza |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZF2IDgAAQBAJ |title=Synagogues in Lithuania A-M: A catalogue |last2=Kravtsov |first2=Sergey |last3=Levin |first3=Vladimir |last4=Mickūnaitė |first4=Giedrė |last5=Šiaučiūnaitė-Verbickienė |first5=Jurgita |date=2010-03-29 |publisher=VDA leidykla |isbn=978-9955-854-60-9 |pages=61 |language=en |quote=The Governor's Palace of Vilnius (architect Vasilii Stasov, supervisor Karol Podczaszyński, 1824–34) is its most impressive example, featuring boldly plain wall expanses, an octastyle Ionic portico..}} In modern times the palace serves as the seat of the President of Lithuania. Podczaszyński has also reconstructed the Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos into the Anatomicum of his alma mater (1822). Finally, between 1836 and 1838 he designed the interior of three chapels of the St. Władysław and Stanisław Cathedral of Vilnius and reconstructed the Town Hall in Kaunas.{{Cite book |last=Krzywicki |first=Tomasz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fp3LnQEACAAJ&q=Podczaszy%C5%84skiego |title=Litwa: przewodnik |date=2005 |publisher=Oficyna Wydawnicza "Rewasz" |isbn=978-83-89188-40-3 |pages=150 |language=pl |quote=At that time, the town hall tower was raised to 53 meters. In 1838, according to the design of Karol Podczaszyński, the town hall was rebuilt into a representative palace, which to serve as the seat of the Tsar of Russia during his travels. (Podwyzszono wtedy wieżę ratuszowa do 53 m. W 1838 r. wg projektu Karola Podczaszynskiego, ratusz przebudowano na reprezentacyjny pałac, który miał służyć carowi Rosji za siedzibe podczas podrózy.}}

In 1839, Podczaszyński took the first known daguerreotype in present-day Lithuania.{{in lang|lt}} [http://www.archiforma.lt/index.php/pageid/145/articlepage/0/articleid/313 Several photographs of Vilnius' constructions of the 1860s]

As a theoretician, he authored works on architecture and industrial design. Podczaszyński died in Vilnius on 19 April 1860 at age 70 and was interred in Rasos Cemetery.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dLQDAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=RA1-PA552 |title=Biblioteka warszawska |date=1860 |publisher=A. Krasiński |pages=552 |language=pl}}{{Cite book |last=Mackiewicz |first=Michał |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3O0iAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia |title=Mały leksykon wileńskiej Rossy |date=1998 |publisher=Wydawn. Polskie w Wilnie |isbn=978-9986-542-07-0 |language=pl}}

His son, Paweł Bolesław Podczaszyński also became a noted architect.{{Cite book |last=Rogalski |first=Leon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ZaefwS88-UC&dq=%22Karol+Podczaszy%C5%84ski%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA705 |title=Historya literatury Polskiéj |date=1871 |publisher=Nakładem Michała Glücksberga, księgarza |pages=89 |language=pl}}{{Cite web |title=Podczaszyński Bolesław Paweł, Encyklopedia PWN: źródło wiarygodnej i rzetelnej wiedzy |url=https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Podczaszynski-Boleslaw-Pawel;3958747.html |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=encyklopedia.pwn.pl |language=pl}}