Marian Dąbrowski (27 September 1878 – 27 September 1958) was a Polish journalist, entrepreneur and publisher, the biggest and the most influential press magnate of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

Life and career

Dąbrowski was born on 27 September 1878 in

Mielec Mielec ( yi, מעליץ-Melitz) is the largest city and seat of Mielec County. Mielec is located in south-eastern Poland ( Lesser Poland), in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (Województwo Podkarpackie). The population of Mielec in December 2021 wa ...

. Between 1903 and 1907, he studied Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

. Then he took up the job of a teacher, but quit and began working as a secretary of the ''Ilustracja Polska'' magazine. In 1908 he became a journalist in the ''Glos Narodu'' magazine, two years later he founded his own newspaper, Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny (''Illustrated Daily Courier''). The first issue of the ''IKC'' was printed on 18 December 1910; after a few years its circulation grew to 180,000. In 1918, after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Dabrowski started creating his own press empire, opening offices in several locations of the interbellum Poland. In 1927 he purchased the ''Nowa Reforma'' magazine and moved his business to a lavish building called ''Palac Prasy'' (''Palace of the Press''), located at 1 Wielopole Street in Kraków. In 1932 his company was worth some $1.5 mln, he employed around 1400 people and published 5 titles, including the flagship, ''Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny''. Between 1921 and 1935 Dabrowski was member of the

Polish Parliament The parliament of Poland is the bicameral legislature of Poland. It is composed of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the Sejm). Both houses are accommodated in the ''Sejm'' complex in Warsaw. The Constitution of Poland does not re ...

, as a member of the Polish People's Party "Piast" (''PSL Piast'') and later, the

Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government The Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government ( pl, Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem, ; abbreviated ''BBWR'') was a "non-political" organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differen ...

(''BBWR''). Since 1926 he supported the

Sanacja Sanation ( pl, Sanacja, ) was a Polish political movement that was created in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and came to power in the wake of that coup. In 1928 its political activists would go o ...

, also was alderman of the city of Kraków. Dabrowski often helped those in need, he funded prizes for young painters, also financially supported construction of a new building of the National Museum of Poland. He came up with the idea of opening the ''Bagatela'' Theatre, also sponsored field works around the

Krakus Mound Krakus Mound ( pl, kopiec Krakusa), also called the Krak Mound, is a tumulus located in the Podgórze district of Kraków, Poland; thought to be the resting place of Kraków's mythical founder, the legendary King Krakus. It is located on Lasota H ...

. For many years, Dabrowski was a member of Kraków's Association of Friends of Fine Arts, between 1935 and 1939 he was the director of this organization. He supported development of sports, organizing various competitions. Also, he popularized the

Tatra Mountains The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - '' plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the h ...

, for which he was named honorary citizen of

Zakopane Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been p ...

Death

Just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Dabrowski left Poland for France. The war turned out a catastrophe for his business. His savings quickly dried out, and he moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, where lived in poverty, forgotten and destitute. He died on 27 September 1958 in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

on the day of his 80th birthday, after several years urn with his ashes was brought to Kraków and buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dabrowski, Marian 1878 births 1958 deaths 20th-century Polish journalists Jagiellonian University alumni Members of the Legislative Sejm of the Second Polish Republic Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1922–1927) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1928–1930) Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935) Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government politicians People from Mielec People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish businesspeople Polish emigrants to the United States Polish People's Party "Piast" politicians

Life and career

Death

See also

References

External links