Prayer of the Bar Confederates before the Battle of Lanckorona, oil painting by Artur Grottger.

On 12 February 1833, Aleksander Czekanowski was born in Krzemieniec in Volhynia. He trained as a geologist, but was not given the freedom to pursue his career as he was sent to Siberia at the age of 30 for taking part in the January Uprising.