The ideas of theAge of Enlightenment inPoland were developed later than inWestern Europe, as the Polishbourgeoisie was weaker, andszlachta (nobility) culture (Sarmatism) together with thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealthpolitical system (Golden Liberty) were in deep crisis. The period ofPolish Enlightenment began in the 1730s–40s, peaked in the reign ofPoland's last king,Stanisław August Poniatowski (1764-1795), went into decline with theThird Partition of Poland (1795) – a national tragedy inspiring a short period of sentimental writing – and ended in 1822, replaced byRomanticism.[1]
Polish Enlightenment, while sharing many common qualities with the classical Enlightenment movements ofWestern Europe, also differed from them in many important aspects. Much of the thought of the Western Enlightenment evolved under the oppressiveabsolute monarchies and was dedicated towards fighting for more freedom. Western thinkers desiredMontesquieu'sseparation and balance of powers to restrict the nearly unlimited power of theirmonarchs. Polish Enlightenment, however, developed in a very different background. The Polish political system was almost the opposite of the absolute monarchy:Polish kings were elected and their position was very weak, with most of the powers in the hands of the parliament (Sejm). Polish reforms desired the elimination of laws that transformed their system into a near-anarchy, resulting from abuse of consensus voting in Sejm (liberum veto) that paralyzed the Commonwealth, especially during the times of theWettin dynasty, reducing Poland from a major European player to the puppet of its neighbours. Thus, while men of the Enlightenment in France and Prussia wrote about the need for more checks and balances on their kings, Polish Enlightenment was geared towards fighting the abuses stemming from too many checks and balances.
The differences did not end there. Townsfolk and bourgeoisie dominated Western Enlightenment movement, while in the Commonwealth most of the reformers came fromszlachta (nobility). Commonwealthszlachta (forming 10% of its population) considered the idea of equality to be one of the foundations of its culture, and reformers fought to expand it towards other social classes.Religious tolerance was an ideal of the szlachta.
Ideas of that period led eventually to theConstitution of May 3, 1791 and other reforms (like the creation of theCommission of National Education, first ministry of education in the world) which attempted to transform the Commonwealth into a modernconstitutional monarchy. Although attempts of politicalreform were thwarted by thecivil war (Targowica Confederation) and military intervention of the Commonwealth's neighbours, ending in thepartitions of Poland, the cultural impact of that period perseveredPolish culture for many years.[1]
The ideas of the Polish Enlightenment also had a significant impact abroad. From theBar Confederation (1768) through the period of theGreat Sejm and until the aftermath of the Constitution of May 3, 1791, Poland experienced a large output of political, particularly constitutional, writing.
Important institutions of the Enlightenment included theNational Theatre founded in 1765 in Warsaw by KingStanisław August Poniatowski; and in the field of advanced learning: theCommission of National Education established by the Sejm in 1773; theSociety for Elementary Books; as well as theCorps of Cadets (Knight's military school) among others. In expanding the field of knowledge, there was theSociety of Friends of Science set up in 1800 soon after the Partitions. Popularnewspapers includedMonitor andZabawy Przyjemne i Pożyteczne (Games Pleasant and Useful).
The center of theneoclassical architecture in Poland wasWarsaw under the reign ofStanisław August Poniatowski.[2]Classicism came toPoland in the 18th century. The best known architects and artists, who worked in Poland wereDominik Merlini,Jan Chrystian Kamsetzer,Szymon Bogumił Zug,Stanisław Zawadzki,Efraim Szreger,Antonio Corazzi,Jakub Kubicki, Christian Piotr Aigner,Wawrzyniec Gucewicz andBertel Thorvaldsen.
The first stage, called theStanislavian style, followed by an almost complete inhibition and a period known as theCongress Kingdom classicism.[3] The most famous buildings of the Stanislavian period include theRoyal Castle in Warsaw, rebuilt by Dominik Merlini and Jan Christian Kamsetzer,Palace on the Water,Królikarnia and the palace inJabłonna.
From the period of the Congress Kingdom are Koniecpolski Palace and theSt. Alexander's Church in Warsaw, theTemple of the Sibyl inPuławy, rebuilding theŁańcut Castle. The leading figure in the Congress Kingdom was Antoni Corrazzi.[4] Corazzi has created a complex ofBank Square in Warsaw, the edifices of the Treasury, Revenue and the Commission of Government, the building of theStaszic Palace,Mostowski Palace and designed the Grand Theatre.
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