Background
Czacki was born in Poryck in Volhynia, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now Pavlivka in Ukraine.
Czacki was born in Poryck in Volhynia, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now Pavlivka in Ukraine.
Czacki played an important part in the Enlightenment in Poland. When Prince Adam Czartoryski was placed at the head of the educational district of Vilnius, Czacki was appointed school inspector of Volhynia, Podolia, and the Ukraine. An opponent of the Jesuits, he combated their work in the field of pedagogy, and on one occasion raised by public subscription the sum of two millions of Polish florins to insure the existence of the gymnasiums in Vinnitsa and Kiev.
In 1805 he founded the high school in Kremenetz, Volhynia (the Liceum Krzemienieckie).
He discovered what was thought at the time to be the grave of Copernicus. However, controversy over its location continued long afterwards.
From 1786 to 1792 he worked for the Polish Commission of the Treasury and was responsible for supervising Jewish affairs in the country. During this time and afterwards, he worked for the emancipation of Jews in Poland.
Exemption from the poll-tax was granted in 1775 to those who would apply themselves to agriculture, and by 1787, owing to Czacki"s efforts while in the treasury (see his report of 1787 on the Ruthenian and Ukrainian provinces), he had the satisfaction of seeing a few scores of families enjoying that privilege.
He also was a panel member of the Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, founded by Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1773 and considered to be the world"s first ministry of education.