E. J. Jerzmanowski
Kraków Murals
Mural, Bieżanów-Prokocim district. A mural is a large painting made directly on the wall of a building.
History
On the gable wall of the block at 37 Erazma Jerzmanowskiego Street, in the Prokocim Nowy area, there is an eco-mural dedicated to Erazm Józef Jerzmanowski (1844-1909). It shows a lamplighter lighting a gas street lamp, a diagram of a gas installation and a fragment of a US Patent Office document bearing the hero's name. The caption by the portrait calls him the Pole who lit up America. The design was prepared by Michał Zakrzewski, the work took place in 2022-2024, and the painting, covering about 300 m2, was made with photocatalytic paint.
Jerzmanowski fought in the January Uprising, and in the United States he obtained 22 patents related to the use of water gas for street lighting. In 1896 he settled on an estate in Prokocim, where he died in 1909.
Did you know?
In his will he established a prize foundation, known as the "Polish Nobel". The prize was awarded from 1915 to 1938, and in 2009 it was revived.
