Jan Heweliusz (Johannes Hevelius) was born 28 January 1611 in Gdansk, died 28 January 1687 in Gdansk. Actually Johann Hewelke (Hevelke). He was descended from a family of a Czech origin, for many years engaged in the brewing of beer. From 1618 he attended the Gdansk Gymnasium and privately took math lessons with Piotr Kruger. From 1618 he studied law at the university in Leiden (the Netherlands). In 1631-1634 he lived in England and France and studied mathematics, astronomy and drawing. He participated in astronomical observations and scientific disputes, as well as learnt techniques of construction of a sundial and instruments for sky observation. From 1634 until the end of his life he stayed in Gdansk. The owner of Gdansk breweries. In 1641-1651 a juror in the Old City Court and in 1651-1687 a councilor of the Old City. For many years he carried out astronomical observations from an observatory located on a roof of his own tenement houses at Korzenna street. He corresponded with scientists from the whole Europe. His friends and protectors were Polish kings John II Casimir and John III Sobieski. They visited the astronomer and participated in astronomical demonstrations. One of the newly discovered constellation Hevelius called “Sobieski’s Shield”. In 1664 he became a member of the Royal Society in London. He constructed and built many unique devices for astronomical observations, familiar to us from illustrations included in his works. He printed his works in his own print shop, illustrations and drawings were made by well known painters and graphic artists working in Gdansk and some of them were made by Hevelius himself. A grave and an epitaph of a great astronomer are placed in St. Catherine’s church.
Picture © by Daniel Schultz: Jan Heweliusz. Gdańsk, 1677, oil on canvas, 125 x 103 cm. /Gdansk Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Source: The City Hall of Gdansk
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