The Towns of Copernicus [antikvár]

In the course of his long, industrious and active life Nicolaus Copernicus travelled a great deal. His first journey of any length took him to Cracow, where he studied at the University of Cracow. More extensive travels soon followed when he went to Italy to study; it is certain that Copernicus was in Bologna, Rome, Padua and Ferrara. Upon his return to Poland from Italy, Copernicus spent the first few years in Lidzbark, and then to the end of his life - apart from a stay in Olsztyn - he lived in Frombork. During this time he travelled a great deal throughout the lands of the Polish Kingdom, particularly in the northern regions - at first as an adviser and physician to the Bishop of Warmia, Lukasz Watzenrode, then later as a member of the Frombork Chapter. His many duties and his no less numerous commitments compelled him to travel. Thus it was that he travelled as administrator of the Chapter's common landed estates, as Chancellor of the Chapter, physician, geographer, politician and economist. Not all of Copernicus' travels have been recorded in documents. We can only surmise, for example, that he was in Poznan, Radom, Piotrkow, or in L^czyca or in Wroclaw. We know that he was in Gdansk though no documents have survived to prove this. The list of towns where Copernicus worked is long: Barczewo, Bartoszyce, Braniewo, Dobre Miasto, Elblsig, Frombork, Grudzi^dz, Cracow, Krolewiec, Lidzbark, Lubawa, Malbork, Olsztyn, Orneta, Pienigzno, Reszel, Sztum and Toruii. Copernicus also travelled very often to villages belonging to the Chapter. The lands owned by the Warmian Chapter were divided into three tenancies, those of Frombork, Olsztyn and Melzak (Melzak, now Pieni?zno). As administrator of the estates of the Chapter, with its seat in Olsztyn Castle, Copernicus often travelled to various places in the Olsztyn and Melzak tenancies under his care. Among the principal functions of the administrator was that of placing settlers on the abandoned farmsteads in the villages belonging to the Chapter. Copernicus attended to these duties painstakingly. His numerous travels to the territories of both tenancies were recorded in ledgers entitled Locationis mansorum desertorum (The Leases of Abandoned Farms) which were kept by the administrators. And here, too, is where the names of many villages may be found in handwritten entries made by Copernicus himself. These villages, which are relatively easily identified today, include: Jonkowo, Woj-towo, Wozno, Spr^cowo, Gryiliny, Gutkowo, Skajboty, Kumajny, Pehy, Bartqg, Sz^bruk, Lubianka, Pluski, Linowo, Naglady, Br^swald, Lugwald, Porbady, Shipy, 1