TY - JOUR TI - ‘Once it was a thriving city...’, or the image of Padua in the letters of Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski from 1779 AU - Kowalczyk, Małgorzata Ewa TI - ‘Once it was a thriving city...’, or the image of Padua in the letters of Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski from 1779 AB - Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski (1755–1787) is one of the most outstanding and controversial figures of the Polish Enlightenment. In 1779 this talented poet and satirist made a tour around Italy, during which he regularly wrote letters. They have been preserved in the collections of the Manuscripts Section of the Jagiellonian Library in Cracow, unfortunately as an incomplete copy. The aim of this article is to analyze the poet’s impressions from his stay in Padua. In his notes, full of anecdotes and jokes, we find broad descriptions of the art and architecture of the city, longer characteristics of the inhabitants, as well as their customs and everyday life. An attempt to reconstruct the Polish poet’s perception of Padua during the Enlightenment will undoubtedly contribute to a better understanding of the history of the city and its famous university. VL - Volume 23 (2023) IS - Special Issue 3 PY - 2023 SN - 1732-8705 C1 - 2084-3917 SP - 391 EP - 398 DO - 10.4467/20843917RC.23.041.18881 UR - https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/romanica-cracoviensia/article/una-volta-era-una-citta-fiorente-ovvero-limmagine-di-padova-nelle-lettere-di-tomasz-kajetan-wegierski-del-1779 KW - Padua KW - the Elightenment KW - travel KW - letters KW - everyday life KW - Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski