Passage to knowledge

Ksawery Pillati, General Horticultural Exhibition in Warsaw, „Tygodnik Illustrowany”, vol. 6, no. 142, 1885, pp. 184–185

The General Horticultural Exhibition of the Kingdom of Poland was held in Warsaw at the Ujazdów fields (modern-day Ujazdów Park), at the site of the earlier Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, from 5 to 14 September 1885. The site was designed by Franciszek Szanior [1] and Walerian Kronenberg [2], some of the most distinguished Polish greenery designers of the 19th century. The event was also attended by countess Aleksandra Potocka [3], who won a total of 13 medals for her selection of ferns, Arum plants, coniferous greenhouse plants, and bucket-planted fruit trees. She received the most important award, the minor gold medal, for the most beautiful and most numerous selection of cold greenhouse leafy and flowering plants. In this competition she presented diverse species: lily-of-the-valley-tree (Clethra arborea Aiton), Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.), including the 'Pyramidalis' variety, Mexican cypress (Hesperocyparis benthamii [Endl.] Bartel), myrtle (Myrtus Tourn. ex L.), an Eugenia tree (Eugenia P.Micheli ex L.), horoeka (Pseudopanax crassifolius [Sol. ex A.Cunn.] K.Koch), Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara [Roxb. ex D.Don] G.Don), Himalayan flowering dogwood (Cornus capitata subsp. capitata), Japanese pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira [Thunb.] W.T.Aiton), citron (Citrus medica L.), bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium L.), a Citrus angustifolia with an unknown taxonomic status, and a rhododendron or azalea (Rhododendron L.). A unique memento of this event are countess Aleksandra Potocka’s diplomas, now part of the collection of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów (Wil.4218–Wil.4230).

[1] Franciszek Szanior (born 6 October 1853 in Warsaw, died 5 February 1945 in Kamieńsk) – horticulturist, designer of numerous parks in Poland, including the Ujazdów park and Skaryszew park in Warsaw, Sobański palace park in Guzów, and the Henryk Sienkiewicz estate park in Oblębork.

[2] Walerian Kronenberg (born 1859 in Prawda, died 27 November 1934 in Warsaw) – horticulturist, designer of over 300 parks and gardens in Poland and in the south-western regions of the former Russian Empire (including in Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia).

[3] Aleksandra Potocka née Potocka (born 26 March 1818 in Petersburg, died 6 January 1892 in Warsaw) – Polish aristocrat, wife of count August Potocki and owner of the Wilanów palace from 1840 to 1892.

This text is part of the implementation tasks of the Author’s doctoral thesis Technical, aesthetic and management standards of restoring an exotic plant collection in historic gardens exemplified by the Wilanów residence, conducted in cooperation with Cracow University of Technology and the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, financed by the Ministry of Education and Science under the 5th edition of the “Implementation doctorate” programme.

Sources

Horticultural diplomas of Countess Aleksandra Potocka from the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów collection: Wil.4218, Wil.4219, Wil.4220, Wil.4221, Wil.4222, Wil.4223, Wil.4224, Wil.4225, Wil.4226, Wil.4227, Wil.4228, Wil.4229, Wil.4230.

 Bibliography

1. Kuśmierski J., Wilanów Orangery collection in exhibitions over the second half of the nineteenth century, Passage to knowledge Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, 06.10.2021. https://www.wilanow-palac.pl/wilanow_orangery_collection_in_exhibitions_over_the_second_half_of_the_nineteenth_century.html
2. Wystawa ogrodnicza ogólna w Warszawie w 1885 r., „Ogrodnik Polski: dwutygodnik poświęcony wszystkim gałęziom ogrodnictwa”, vol. 7, no. 19, 1885, pp. 433–435.
3. Wystawa ogrodnicza w Warszawie, „Tygodnik Illustrowany”, vol. 6, no. 142, 1885, pp. 183–186.
4. Wystawa ogrodnicza, „Gazeta Warszawska”, vol. 112, no. 197, 26 August (7 September) 1885, p. 2.
5. Wystawa ogrodnicza, „Gazeta Warszawska”, vol. 112, no. 199, 28 August (9 September) 1885, p. 2.
6. Wystawa ogrodnicza, „Gazeta Warszawska”, vol. 112, no. 199, 29 August (10 September) 1885, p. 2.
7. Wystawa ogrodnicza, „Gazeta Warszawska”, vol. 112, no. 200, 31 August (12 September) 1885, p. 2.
8. Wystawa Ogrodnicza, „Kłosy: czasopismo ilustrowane, tygodniowe, poświęcone literaturze, nauce i sztuce”, vol. 41, no. 1056, 12(24) September 1885, p. 20.
9. Z placu wystawy, „Kurjer Warszawski”, vol. 65, no. 248, 8 September 1885, p. 1.