Topics of coins
160th Anniversary of the Death of Romuald Traugutt
Romuald Traugutt (1826-1864) is one of the most
recognisable heroes of the January Uprising, a symbol of
struggle to the very end, of nobility and martyrdom.
The first thirty-six years of Traugutt’s life did not
foreshadow his extraordinary story. The future leader
of the insurrection came from a family of landed gentry
of modest means settled in the Grodno region. After
completing gymnasium in Świsłocz, he intended to
become an engineer, but when this proved impossible,
he joined the Tsarist army. In its ranks, he took part in the
intervention against the Hungarian uprising and in the
Crimean War. Personal experiences and progressive visual
impairment influenced his decision to leave the Tsarist
army and settle near Kobryń.
The former lieutenant-colonel of the Tsarist army initially
kept his distance from the uprising that broke out in
January 1863. Not without misgivings, persuaded by his
neighbours, he stood at the head of an insurgent unit.
“As a Pole, I judged that it was my duty not to save myself
where others sacrificed everything,” he later explained his
decision. He fought bravely and with some success, but
in view of the enemy’s superiority and having exhausted
the possibilities of combat, he disbanded the unit, and
himself, sick and exhausted, hid at the writer Eliza
Orzeszkowa’s place. He then left for Warsaw, and later,
under the assumed name of Michał Czarnecki, he went
on a mission to France.
On 17 October 1863, Traugutt became the leader of the
insurrection. Unlike the two previous dictators, Ludwik
Mieroslawski and Marian Langiewicz, he headed the
struggle in strict secrecy, directly contacting only a few
individuals. He concentrated all his energy on financial
matters, rebuilding the insurgent armed force and seeking
help from Western European countries.
Despite dedication and desperate struggle, the uprising
had no chance of victory. Traugutt, however, remained
steadfast until the end. He was arrested by the Russians
at his conspiratorial headquarters, in his Warsaw flat at 3 Smolna Street. He offered no resistance and only uttered
the words: “So there it is ...”.
He was imprisoned in the 10th Pavilion of the Warsaw Citadel
and, despite a brutal interrogation, did not denounce anyone.
He was hanged on 5 August 1864, together with four members
of the National Government. The execution was watched by
30,000 people. The crowd, kneeling, sang the supplication:
‘Holy God, Holy Mighty One’.
Traugutt’s indomitable attitude and martyrdom gave birth to
the legend of the last dictator of the January Uprising. Another
prisoner of the Warsaw Citadel, Józef Piłsudski, considered
himself Traugutt’s ideological heir.
Wojciech Kalwat
The reverse of the silver coin features an image of Romuald
Traugutt and his words spoken during the investigation by
the Russians at the Warsaw Citadel.
On the obverse of the silver coin, a figure of a woman
holding twigs with oak leaves and hawthorn stems with
thorns – symbols of strength, perseverance and suffering –
is presented as an allegory of freedom. Next to her
image there is the coat of arms of Poland, Lithuania and
Ruthenia from the January Uprising.
The reverse of the gold coin depicts the image of Romuald
Traugutt. The obverse bears the regular elements:
the face value, the image of the Eagle established as the
state emblem of the Republic of Poland and the year
of issue.