Józef Montwiłł (; 9 March 1850 – 7 February 1911) was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman, who was a bank owner and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, notable for the many social societies he founded. A descendant of a noble Lithuanian family, Montwiłł inherited a significant fortune, which he further increased through banking and investment. He financed numerous courses for the poor, among them, was a class of painting and arts, run by - among others - Józef Bałzukiewicz and Ivan Trutnev, from which graduated a renowned Lithuanian artist

Juozas Zikaras Juozas Zikaras (November 18, 1881 – November 10, 1944) was a Lithuanian sculptor and artist, who created the design for pre-war Lithuanian litas coins. He is considered to be one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors. Biography He was ...

. In 1898, Montwiłł also financed a monument to

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

in Vilnius, designed by Tadeusz Stryjeński. As the tsarist authorities did not allow the monument to be placed in open space, it was built inside Church of St. Johns. Montwiłł also created the ''Lutnia'' Artistic Society and financed the construction of the society's theatre, in currently Lithuanian National Drama Theatre. Among other societies, he formed and financed the Society of Friends of Science, one of the founding members of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars a ...

. Montwiłł also financed the creation of a Polish school in Vilnius (1907), the

Panevėžys Panevėžys () is the fifth-largest List of cities in Lithuania, city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, eighth-most-populous city in the Baltic States. it occupies with 89,100 inhabitants. As defined by Eu ...

city hall; built already after his death, and the Polish Theatre in Vilnius (in modern times the

Old Theatre of Vilnius Old Theatre of Vilnius (), built in 1913 as Pohulanka Theatre and formerly known as Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania (or Lithuanian Russian Dramatic Theatre) and other names, is a theatre in the Vilnius Old Town, Old Town of Vilnius. It is the ...

). He died in 1911, and was buried at the Rasos Cemetery. His tomb, designed by Zygmunt Otto, was decorated with a sculpture of an angel. Although vandalized in recent times, the tomb remains there. In 1935, a monument to Montwiłł was erected in front of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A monument in his honour was built in the square, located in the former Franciscan cemetery on the Trakų Street, Vilnius. In modern times, the Polish Culture in Lithuania Fund () has adopted Montwiłł as its patron.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montwill, Jozef 1850 births 1911 deaths People from Kėdainiai District Municipality People from Vilkomirsky Uyezd Polish Roman Catholics Members of the 3rd State Duma of the Russian Empire Polish philanthropists Polish bankers Polish businesspeople Polish economists 19th-century philanthropists Saint Petersburg State University alumni Burials at Rasos Cemetery Bankers from the Russian Empire