Franciszek Siwek (1858–1933), Sketchbook from the Second Polish Republic [Mountain Hut on Stożek, Równica, Wisła, Ustroń, Cieszyn, stamp]

Franciszek Siwek (1858–1933), Sketchbook from the Second Polish Republic

Franciszek Siwek (1858–1933) – folk poet and journalist Franciszek Siwek – an outstanding self-taught Silesian artist, social activist, and journalist committed to defending Polish identity and workers’ rights in Cieszyn Silesia.

The sketchbook contains 9 drawings dated and signed by the author, as well as pre-war stamps from the featured mountain shelters, such as Stożek and Równica.

Good condition; repaired with tape; some soiling. Later notes {by relatives?}.

Format: 20 x 22 [cm]

He was born and died in Sucha Górna. By profession, he was a carpenter and a miner at the “Gabriela” mine in Karviná. He served as a librarian and cultural organizer at the local Agricultural and Educational Circle.

Creative and journalistic work: He published articles and columns in major regional newspapers (including “Głos Ludu Śląskiego,” “Robotnik Śląski,” and “Wieniec”). He wrote moving, socially engaged poems on social, religious, and patriotic themes (including the well-known poem “In Memory of Our Slain Miner Brothers”).

His legacy constitutes a unique, authentic historical and literary record of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in the Polish-Czech border region.