Jan Kiliński: a shoemaker, Warsaw councillor, one of the commanders fighting in the Kościuszko Insurrection, a symbol of patriotism, today the patron of numerous streets, schools, scout troops… He is less known as an exile to Siberia.

During the Kościuszko Uprising, Jan Kiliński roused the citizens of Warsaw to battle; it was under his command that, among other things, they drove the Russian garrison out of the city and freed prisoners held in the basement of the Russian embassy. For these merits, Tadeusz Kościuszko awarded Kiliński the rank of colonel. Unfortunately, in the autumn of 1794, Colonel Kiliński was captured by the Prussians on his way to Poznań and handed over to the Russians. He spent two years in the Petropavlovsk fortress in St. Petersburg, after which he was released on the orders of Tsar Paul himself. He settled in Vilnius, where he ran a shoemaker’s shop and… again became involved in underground activities. He was arrested again and imprisoned. When he returned to Warsaw, he was no longer politically active but held the post of councillor during the years of the Duchy of Warsaw.

He is the author of two volumes of memoirs. He began to write them down during his first stay in prison, persuaded to do so by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz. Undoubtedly, Kiliński had a lot to write about. We do not know the date of his birth, only the year and place are certain: 1760 in Trzemeszno. He was the son of a bricklayer, the tenth child in his family. When he was four years old, his mother died, and he lost his father at the age of sixteen. He then left for Poznań, where he continued his training as a shoemaker alongside his older brother. As a 20-year-old, he arrived in Warsaw, where he obtained the title of master shoemaker. Thanks to his efficiency, he quickly became a wealthy man and the owner of a tenement house at No. 5 Szeroki Dunaj Street (in the Old Town). He was also a member of the Warsaw city council and became involved in a conspiracy preparing an uprising against the Russians.

When he died (28 January 1819), he was 59 years old. He was buried in Powązki Cemetery (his grave was later removed due to the expansion of the church). He was said to have been escorted on his last journey by 30,000 Varsovians, including participants in the 1794 battles, such as Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz and General Józef Zajączek.

After Kilinski’s death, in front of the tenement house where he lived, passers-by took their caps off their heads for a long time as a sign of respect…