Dlaczego Antonio Corazzi przyjechał do Polski?
Why Did Antonio Corazzi Come to Poland?

Summary/Abstract: For about a hundred years in Polish academic literature it has been acknowledged that the architect Antonio Corazzi was brought to Poland by Stanisław Staszic. Meanwhile, a detailed research has allowed to ascertain that this conviction is not based on any confirmed sources. Corazzi's arrival in Poland resulted from a decision to bring from Italy a young talented architect, eager to implement ambitious architectural and urban plans of the Polish government. The invitation with a request to suggest a candidate was most likely dispatched by Viceroy Józef Zajączek in his letter to the Duke of Tuscany. The decision may have been influenced by Stanisław Staszic, yet it is Stanisław Kostka Potocki who seems the most likely government member involved in the process. The decision for Corazzi to be chosen to come to Poland resulted from the fact that he was pointed to by the circle of architects of the Florence Academy, who may have borne in mind his talent, but also the personal dislike because of Corazzi’s conflicting personality displayed already during the studies. Furthermore, it seems that Corazzi 's decision to come to Poland did not result from his ambition or jumping at an attractive opportunity, but from the desire to evade legal and financial consequences of not paying a bill of exchange. However, the final answer to the question posed in the paper's title continues to seem, as much as, hopefully, well supported, still merely hypothetical.

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