Nie tylko inżynier. Gabriel Narutowicz i jego działalność na rzecz sprawy polskiej w okresie I wojny światowej

Abstract

For years, there have been many opinions according to which Gabriel Narutowicz is known only because in December 1922 he was “accidentally” elected the president of the Republic of Poland and then murdered in dramatic circumstances. His professional achievements are very often overlooked in such narratives. The poorly known threads of his biography also include his commitment to the Polish cause during the Great War. And it was then, as a Swiss citizen and a respected engineer with a European reputation, actively engaged in helping Poles staying within the borders of this mountainous country. Narutowicz, about which the article is about, was also an intermediary in providing financial support to Piłsudski’s legionnaires, which in the United States was collected by his friend Aleksander Dębski, among others. Moreover, Narutowicz spoke publicly, including in the press, on the most important issues concerning the position of the Polish cause during the Great War. The text also contains information on other forms of Narutowicz’s activity, who, despite his technical education and numerous duties resulting from his design office and work at the University of Technology in Zurich, was a man with broad horizons and numerous passions, including mountain hiking and music.