Chile, a distant country, that only a few Poles have reached. The number of Poles in Chile has never been large. One of the first fellow in this remote country was Ignacy Domeyko. He had arrived to Chile in 1838 and began working in Coquimbo as a professor of chemistry and mineralogy. Domeyko founded there the first School of Mining. Ten years later, for his services, he received a Chilean citizenship. Being Appreciated for the organizational and scientific skills, Domeyko was offered to create a new university and the post of professor. The University of Santiago Created by Domeyko was one of the most modern universities at that time. It was modeled on the University of Vilnius. He worked there as a rector for 16 years.
His works on the field of mineralogy and geology gained him worldwide fame and great gratitude from Chileans. Domeyko discovered in Chile rich deposits of coal, gold deposits, as well as a new mineral -copper arsenide, named in his honor as domeykit.
He deserved the title of Chilean “father of mining”. The memory of him has survived to the present day. His name is commemorated in many geographical names in Chile: one of the mountain ranges is called Cordillera Domeyco, a lakeside village Llanquihne – Pueblo Domeyko, a peak with a height of over 5,000 meters above sea level – Cerro Domeyco. There is also a town called Puerto Domeyco, nearby which runs famous Las Campanas Observatory. World famous Polish astronomer, Wojciech Krzeminski, is working there, with a great success.
Fossils also bear the name of our countryman: nautilus Domeykus i Ammonites Domeykanus. One of the plants was named Viola Domykana. Also, one of the newly discovered asteroid named after him. In connection with the falling in 2002 the 200th anniversary of the birth of our compatriot, UNESCO declared this year the year Domeyko. Today, Andrew Zabłocki thought to become Domeyko’s successor in Chile. What connects these two characters? Without a doubt, professional issues, and a very strong commitment to the Polish and Chile.
Zablocki Andrew was trained as a miner. In 1967 he graduated from the university, the Department of Mines and received his Bachelors. Already during his studies he was able to get a few months scholarship in Finland. He found the country so intriguing that after completing his degree he moved there again. He began work there as a miner. This period was not the easiest of his life, mainly because of hard physical work underground and lack of knowledge of the language. The days in Finland (especially in the winter) were exceptionally short. In the morning, when he was going to work it was still dark. It was dark in the corridors and already dark after leaving work and on the way back home. Over the years, life worked out better. He set up a family, married Ritva Rihijarvi , and soon after that their first baby, Natalia, was born. He had learned Finnish and eventually changed his job. He found it in a well-known Swedish company “Atlas-Copco”, involved in the production of mining equipment. Zablocki was an active member of the Finnish Union of Poles.
After several years of working in Atlas Copco in 1982, the company offered him a three-year contract in Chile. Zablocki family didn’t debate long On this surprising and appealing proposition. It always drew them into the world. They quickly made the decision to leave the other hemisphere. Chile since the early days captivated the whole family. They quickly mastered the new language and made professional challenges. Chile was warm, sunny, days were long and bright. Mining in the years of the rule of Augusto Pinochet and the country’s economy was the fastest growing on the continent. Three years have passed very quickly, but Zablocki did not return to Europe. He and his family extended their stay at the end of the world, until he decided to remain there permanently. They have never regretted. Living in Chile suits them, they can perform professionally here, they have a lot of friends, the rules of life are simple and clear. What is more, the food is great and great atmosphere as well. They got used to living near to the volcano and in the area of very high seismic activity. Andrew Zablocki from the beginning of his professional career has gained wide acceptance. He is a respected specialist in the field of mining and it is worth noting that this area of life is the basis for the country’s economy. After all, Chile is the world leader in mining and processing of copper. It is estimated that less than 30% of the copper is in the Andean country. It is home to eight of the 20 largest mines of coal. Recently, our compatriot was one of the most important prizes awarded by the Society of Mining Engineers, and in 2008 he got prestigious title of “Miner of the Year”, which is awarded every two years by the Ministry of Mines. His entire professional career involved with “Atlas-Copco,” and deals with the sourcing of machinery for mining, mainly for deep-sea mining of copper and gold. Zablocki Is recognized in the world and is often invited to international conferences and symposia. He is all the time in contact with the Poland. In July last year, he was one of the speakers of the international congress of copper miners in Wroclaw. Andrew returns to this city very happy, trying to come often. His mother still lives in Wroclaw he has a large group of friends from his student days in the city. In fact Wroclaw is not his hometown. He was born in Vilnius during World War II. However, several years later, after the war was moved to Wrocław.
Zablocki is also active in the field of Polish-American activities, over the years serves as president of the Polish in Chile, actively organizing the life of the local Polish community. He is also vice president of the Union of Associations and Organizations in Latin America Polonia.
I met Andrew Zablocki almost 20 years ago, in 1994, during my first visit to Chile. We met at a gala time, monthly, Polish meeting. This meeting was organized by the then President of the Polish grup, Marian Kwiatkowski. The ceremony was devoted to anniversaries of: November 11 and the November Uprising. Operating since 1982, it has focused the vast majority of Chilean Polonia. Andrew Zablocki was probably the only representative of the Polish-American organizations of the Polish name of Ignacy Domeyko. Organization, which in the early 90s has been revived with the help of the ambassador in Chile, Zdzislaw Ryn. Andrew Zablocki was one of its founders. The two organizations have joined over 10 years ago, taking the old, historic name, the name of the Union of Polish Ignacy Domeyko.
If Ignacy Domeyko and Andrew Zablocki lived at the same time, they would probably become friends, and close colleagues. But they are separated by almost two hundred years. Zablocki Andrew remembers his great compatriot, cherishes the memory of him. One of the first moments spent together with family in Santiago de Chile they spent on a visit to the old family home Domeyko. It is located in the old part of the capital, in the Yungay. Storey, brick building is unoccupied. At the front there are four plaques, all devoted to our great Fellow Countryman. The last of them, probably from 1995 was sponsored by the Polish Federation to celebrate the visit of Polish President, Lech Walesa, in Chile. There is also very controversial plaque from 1970, on which the name of Domeyko is written almost the same size letters as the name of Ignatius Logs Sowinski, the founder of the plaque, who used to be party and state dignitaries at that time.
Local Polish community for many years makes efforts to turn this place into a museum dedicated to the “Father of Chilean mining”. Unfortunately, many years of work on this topic is not going forward. It is all about the matter of ownership, not all the heirs are interested in passing the object for museum purposes. There is nothing else than to believe in the continuous efforts made by the “second Domeyko” supported by the local Polish community. He recently organized a meeting with the family of Domeyko, which was attended by representatives of the Miners Association of Engineers, which also actively supports the idea of creating a museum. Perherps representatives of the Polish KGHM, who recently invested heavily on the Chilean mining market, will find this topic interesting. Together we’re going to elegant English club – Club Prince of Wales, in which Andrew is training intensively every week, caring for sporty look. In a large, wooded, beautifully landscaped grounds include golf courses, swimming pools, playgrounds for cricket, polo, football, volleyball, tennis … Zablocki Andrew’s favorite sport is tennis. At court he meets a lot of friends. He also encouraged his son Patrick to play and they often play doubles in one hand. If possible, to come to the Polish Sopot Tennis Tournament. Frequently they are the only representatives from all over South America.
Patrick, Andrew’s son, invites us to his newly launched restaurant ZABO, its name refers to the name of the owner. It is well-located, in the central area of the city. Restaurant specializes in what is the most popular and sought after by the residents of the capital, which is in Japanese cuisine. We ate delicious sushi. The decor in the restaurant referring to the emblem of Japan, on the ceiling large white lampshades with red wheels in the middle. It is also associated with the Polish part, on the wall hung a large embroidered Polish eagle. In Polish, I ask Patrick why in the restaurants are Polish elements, and has nothing to do with Finland. He laughs and says that’s not true, is vodka Finland, and the Polish design? The answer is simple, because the Father is a great Polish patriot! There is a lot of Polish elements at their home. Most of them in the Andrew’s office. When entering the offic, the firs thing you can see is John Paul II portrait, next to a portrait of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski painted by a former family friend Raul Nalecz-Malachowski (another of his paintings adorn the interior of the Polish Embassy in Santiago de Chile). But the biggest surprise for me is the picture hanging in the living room. I rub my eyes, take a long look, but I can not be mistaken. It is from my city of Lodz, and the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church square. This is the work of another family friend Casimir Kedzie.
Today, the importance of engineer Andrew Zablocki for the Polish economy can be very important, because KGHM recently acquired in Chile, the Canadian company Quadra, one of the largest and richest copper deposits in the world. Indigenous reserves the Sierra Gorda and Franke was the largest foreign investment project in the history of the Polish economy. The mines acquired by the Polish Group also operates a molybdenum ore and silver. And having such a specialist…
Photos © Jarosław Fischbach