Walery Cyryl Amrogowicz
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Walery Cyryl Amrogowicz (1863-1931) was a Polish numismatist, nationalist, philanthropist and and collector of cultural artifacts. He came from a rural Pomeranian family. During his studies at a Secondary School in Toruń he developed a liking for history and geography which was to contribute to his passion for numismatics. Following his studies, he became a court clerk. He worked in Toruń, Puck, and Kościerzyn. Amrogowicz was known for his patriotism. Throughout his whole life he worked with various Polish social organisations and provided material aid to many students from poor families (among them Dr Aleksander Majkowski, a future expert on Kaszuby). In Sopot Amrogowicz established the People's Bank, designed to assist small business, and became the president of the Bank for several years.
During the First World War he purchased a house in Sopot (next to the present day Museum of Sopot) in which he lived following his retirement in 1919. From this time Amrogowicz dedicated his life to developing his collection of money and Kaszubian art. His collection, primarilly consisting of coins and medals, contained aproximately 2000 items. His art collection also consisted of several paintings (including, among others, works by Rembrandt, Dürer and Chodowiecki), paintings ordered from Marian Mokwa, pictures documenting Kaszubian art and architecture, and various other items such as cuneiform tablets. Among his pastimes during this period were walks along the beach towards Jelitkowa, short bicycle rides and swimming in the sea - regardless of the weather.
Walery Amrogowicz died in 1931 in Krynica where he had gone to convalesce. In his will, he left the majority of his collection to the Toruń Society of Science. Following World War II it was transferred to the Toruń Regional Museum which held an exhibition in 2004 to mark the 140th anniversary of Amrogowicz's birth.
