Reformer Antoni Tyzenhaus – his manufactories and towns
Antoni Tyzenhaus (1733–1785) is one of the brightest personalities of the Enlightenment epoch to whom economic and urban reforms of the 18th century are related. Having become Manor Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Manager of the royal estates in 1765, by carrying out reforms he sought not only to replenish the Treasury of the GDL but also to modernise the way of life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the whole. What encouraged Antoni Tyzenhaus to undertake reforms and why radical restructuring was so important in the Enlightenment epoch?
Enlightenment in urban forms
Enlightenment gave birth to a belief in constant progress and improvement of a human being, his possibilities to overcome and master nature, to develop sciences, arts and industry. The necessity for the reform was understood there as the only way out for the mind and order to overcome the old superstitions and chaos. Order, hierarchy and rationality formed the basis for Antoni Tyzenhaus activities. Having become acquainted with the French intellectuals in Paris, with Jean Jacques Rousseau among them, Tyzenhaus initiated reforms not only in the country’s economy but also on the national scale.
The extant speech delivered by Antoni Tyzenhaus at the Sejm of 1776 shows his broad state thinking: “I am used to speaking, thinking for the public, and also wishing it good.”
Do You Know?
The houses built by the reformer of the Enlightenment epoch Antoni Tyzenhaus (1733–1785) for the workers of manufactories in the small town of Pastovys (current Beklarus) are the first examples of standardised residential construction in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. These were modern one-storey dwelling houses, which had never been seen before. They were economical and rationally built: the side and back walls of the houses were made of wood, only the main facades facing the street and the town square were made of bricks, plastered and decorated with the pediments of different forms.
The introduction of the new economic order testifies to Antoni Tyzenhaus aim to restructure the economy of the State. The reform included not only the establishment of modern production enterprises (manufactories and factories) and sending the youth abroad to learn new professions but also restructuring of the environment, for example, by rebuilding centres of the GDL estates according to the model of the cities of Western Europe. He tested the idea of rationalisation of the cities first in restructuring his own patrimony – the town of Pastovys (current Belarus) where he founded a mill, paper and other manufactories, and built a regular rectangular square in the centre surrounded by the buildings of united architecture. These were modern one-storey dwelling houses with a garret for the workers of manufactories, which had never been seen before. They were economical and rationally built: the side and back walls of the houses were made of wood and only the main facades facing the street and the town square were made of bricks, plastered and decorated with the pediments of different forms. One can say that they were the first examples of standardised residential construction in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The beehive of arts and crafts
Antoni Tyzenhaus reformative plans revealed themselves in the city of Grodno (current Belarus) Elder of which he was appointed in 1765. It is thought that this reconstruction was related to Antoni Tyzenhaus dream to move the capital city to Grodno.
He built an industrial and cultural suburb of Horodnica on the northern edge of the town that had no equals and that was made of an original network of streets with squares and as many as 85 buildings.
This architectural ensemble (architect Giuseppe de Sacco) is characterised by especially clear order: The palace of Antoni Tyzenhaus, administrative, cultural buildings (the servant’s quarter, a hotel, music and theatre buildings) and an economic sector stood in the first administrative-economic zone. The second educational-scientific zone with different schools and the academy of medicine headed by the professor of medicine Jean Emmanuel Gilibert invited from Lion was established near the Botanical Garden founded by him. The industrial-production zone where manufactories of canvas, silk, clothes, guns, carriages and others, which employed nearly 1500 people, were established around the quadrangle square. Masters and production managers were invited from France, England, Belgium, Russia and other countries. They were settled in modern houses. By the way, the project of Horodnica did not contain a single church.
Ambitious scopes were seen in Kunsztow, a suburb of Grodno at the Lososna River, initiated by Antoni Tyzenhaus. It was planned to establish 14 large manufactories with auxiliary and dwelling brick houses there. The project reflects the influence of the French urban school: the industrial estate was formed of a regular geometrical network of streets whose streets ran like rays from the squares of the oval form. Only a part of this huge project was implemented.
Unrewarding work of the reformer
Works of restructuring cities and small towns in other royal estates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were of a smaller scope, however, they were characterised by rationality: new roads were built, plots of land of villages were regulated, streets were broadened, trees were planted next to them. Modern dwelling houses for workers were built near the established manufactories in Grodno, Šiauliai, Joniškis, Bartninkai, Alytus and other places. The plan of restructuring Joniškis was drawn up, restructuring of the centre of Šiauliai town was begun in 1774 (architect G. de Sacco): the old town square was rebuilt into a regular rectangular.
Antoni Tyzenhaus’ modernisation project was not a success. He invested large funds of the State into the reforms but failed to pay taxes to the Manor Treasury in time. Intrigues of the Royal Court also added to it therefore in 1780 the estates were taken away from him, and after the trial in 1783 he was deprived of all privileges, manors and the right of a representative of the Seimas. In 1785, he died in Warsaw. Construction of houses and a school started in Alytus stopped and turned into ruins.
Marija Drėmaitė
