“The most famous of the Mincel family is, of course, Jan Nepomucen Mincel (Johann Nepomuk Münzel), who was born on March 1, 1795 in Ober-Preschkau (Horni Prysk), in northern Bohemia. immortalization of his character by Bolesław Prus on the pages of “Lalka”. The writer most likely knew Mincel personally” – writes the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments, boasting about the completion of the work.
Who was the prototype of the hero of “Lalka”?
It must be admitted that the restoration of the tombstone was already necessary. This is what the family monument originally looked like. Fragments were chipped, water stains appeared in many places, and the inscriptions were almost illegible. Elements that had a decorative character were overgrown with algae and moss. As noted by the conservator of monuments supervising the renovation, salinity and weakening of the surface layers of the stone were noticeable in the lower part of the tombstone.
The tombstone of the Mincel family before renovation Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments – photo with permission
Also the part dedicated specifically to the merchant who inspired Prus to create the supporting character of Jan Mincel was destroyed (photo below). In The Doll, Bolesław Prus described Warsaw at the end of the 19th century, including the shop of a German merchant (Mincel signed his name in Polish from 1821). As the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments notes, the well-known tenement house at 6 Krakowskie Przedmieście Street in Lublin (currently No. 12) was used as a model. This is where Mincel lived and traded haberdashery and spices, employing 2-3 clerks.
“B. Prus wrote about the merchant ‘(…) I have known Mincel’s shop for a long time, because my father used to send me there for paper, and my aunt for soap. I always ran there with joyful curiosity to see the toys hanging behind the windows. (… ) The interior of the shop looked like a large cellar, the end of which I could never see because of the darkness … The owner of the shop was Jan Mincel, an old man with a ruddy face and a strand of gray hair under his chin. armchair covered with leather, dressed in a blue fustian jacket, a white apron and a nightcap (…) He also, for the amusement of street passers-by, from time to time pulled the rope of a Cossack jumping in the window, and finally, what I least liked, he crimes, he scolded us with one of the many disciplines (…)” – reminds the conservator.
The grave of the Mincel family Publication with the consent of the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.
In “The Doll” we can read: “The owner of the shop was Jan Mined, an old man with a ruddy face and a lock of gray hair under his chin. At any time of the day he sat under the window in a leather armchair, dressed in a blue fustian caftan, white apron and the same nightcap. On the table in front of him was a large book in which he recorded his income, and just above his head hung a bunch of disciplines, intended mainly for sale. watched over the course of trade in the whole store.
Jan Mincel was a wealthy man, from 1819 he belonged to the Assembly of Merchants of the city of Lublin, and his company was one of the most famous in Lublin. In addition to trading haberdashery and colonial goods, he also traded securities and sold tickets for the Classic Lottery in the Kingdom of Poland. He supported charitable institutions, including Charitable Society. On December 12, 1826, he officially became a citizen of Lublin. Born in 1795 in the Czech Republic, he died on July 29, 1864 in his home in Lublin.
The tombstone of the Mincel family has been renovated. Now it looks like this
In the grave, which is decorated with a monument made of sandstone, were also buried: Tekla Mincel née Fengler – wife of a merchant (1794-1840) and the sons of Jan and Tekla – Zygmunt Mincel (1823 -1881), Feliks Mincel (1832-1883), Jan Mincel (1822-1875) and Antoni Mincel (1826-1875). After renovation, the monument looks like this (more photos before and after renovation in the photo gallery at the top of the text).
The gravestone of the Mincel family Publication with the consent of the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments
“The Doll” was first published in installments – in the years 1887-1889 in the daily “Kurier Codzienny”. In 1890, it was first published in its entirety (by the Warsaw publishing house Gebethner i Wolff). In later editions, the novel was divided into two volumes.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
