Sokrat Ivanovich Starynkevich (; ; 1820–1902), commonly known as Sokrates Starynkiewicz, was a Russian general and the 19th

president of Warsaw The Mayor of Warsaw (officially in ) is the head of the executive of the capital of Poland elected directly during local elections for a term of five years. Overview The first city mayor of Warsaw was Jan Andrzej Menich (1695–1696). Th ...

, between 1875 and 1892. During his presidency he ordered the construction of municipal water works as well as the tramway and telephone network in Warsaw.

Biography

Sokrates Starynkiewicz was born on 18 December 1820 in

Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...

at the Azov Sea, to the family of Ivan Starynkiewicz, a bank owner. In 1836 he joined the Imperial Russian army and graduated from several engineering and artillery schools. After promotion to officer rank he served in various staff posts. Among others, he took part in the Hungarian Campaign and

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, for which he was promoted to colonel in 1858. In 1863, during the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

he was retired. Soon afterwards he was promoted to major general and assigned to the Russian Ministry of Interior. Between 1868 and 1871 he was briefly the military governor of

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

, but he left that post and became the governor of Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato's estates near

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and in

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

. On 18 November 1875 he was appointed the 19th president of

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. Although at first he was considered yet another Russian official assigned to govern a Polish city, he soon became known as a great organiser and engineer. He was also a good economist and during his presidency the city's treasury more than tripled. He became particularly popular with the Varsavians after he started to consult most of his decisions with the press, a thing that was uncommon in 19th century Russia. Among the most notable public works started by Starynkiewicz were the horse-drawn

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

way net, the first

telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

lines and Bródno cemetery. In 1886, he ordered the creation of the first modern sewer and

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

network, with the main hub located in the Koszyki area. In 1889 he started the ''Plantation Committee'', which turned many Warsaw's squares and streets into parks. Between 1891 and 1892 more than 2500 trees were planted, 13 parks were refurbished and 47 streets and squares were turned into green areas for all inhabitants of Warsaw. In addition, in 1896 a new Park Ujazdowski was created which remains until now one of the most popular and picturesque parks in Warsaw. Starynkiewicz also introduced modern gas street lighting, built a modern marketplace and started construction and paving of streets in the city centre. Finally, he ordered two

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

es (in 1882 and 1892). He retired on 6 October 1892. He decided to stay in Warsaw, where he took active part in various philanthropic societies and organisations, including the ''Cheap Kitchens Society'' which provided the poorest inhabitants with food. He died in Warsaw on 23 August 1902. The funeral procession was watched by hundreds of thousands of Varsovians from all walks of life. He is buried in the Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw, the Warsaw borough of

Wola Wola () is a district in western Warsaw, Poland. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into a major financial district, featuring various landmarks and some of the tallest offi ...

Legacy

* Sokrates Starynkiewicz Monument

References

* Stanisław Milewski
Jak Rosjanin Warszawę cywilizował...
Histmag, 2013-03-29 {{DEFAULTSORT:Starynkiewicz, Sokrates 1820 births 1902 deaths Military personnel from Taganrog People from Yekaterinoslav Governorate Imperial Russian Army generals Mayors of Warsaw Government officials of Congress Poland

Biography

Legacy

See also

References