Działalność społeczna i kulturalna Zofii Potockiej

THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITY OF ZOFIA POTOCKAZofia Potocka, daughter of Franciszek Ksawery Branicki and Aleksandra Engelhardt and wife of Artur Potocki, the proprietor of the “Pod Baranami” palace in Kraków as well as of the palace in Krzeszowice, was  well-known and respected personage in Kraków. From the moment she moved into the “Pod Baranami” Palacez with her husband, she took part in numerous charitable and cultural events in the city. She was often referred to as a guardian angel, as she supported such organizations as: the Fraternity of Mercy, the Religious Bank and the Charitable Society. Following the great fire of Kraków in 1850, she organized help to the fire victims. After her husband’s death in 1832, she obtained permission to bury him in the chapel dedicated to the Cleansing of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in the Wawel Cathedral. The cathedral chapter even gave her permission to introduce certain architectural alterations in the above chapel. Zofia Potocka also contributed to the restoration of the royal tombs in the cathedral crypt and she also funded the purchase of the painting for the main altar of the Franciscan church in Kraków.She was active not only on the social and cultural arena, but also led a busy social life. The “Pod Baranami” Palace became a social salon of Kraków which set the tone in the entire city and which had to be reckoned with. The other place where Zofia Potocka spent her days was Krzeszowice, where a palace and a church were built during her lifetime. Zofia purchased a plot of land in Krzeszowice where a spring with sulfurous water possessing medicinal properties was located. Later on, a home for senior citizens and the handicapped as well as a hospital were built there, from her initiative. During the January insurrection, Zofia Potocka organized a hospital for the wounded in Krzeszowice. Zofia Potocka and her life’s achievements have become a permanent element of history and are remembered by the inhabitants of both Kraków and Krzeszowice.