Teofila Klaudyna from Działyński’s Potocka was born on 27th August 1801 in Kórnik. She came from meritory for country family Działyńskich. Her father – Ksawery Działyński together with his brother Ignacy belong to active participants of Seym Quadrennial’s work and were creators of Constitution of 3rd May. At the time of Kościuszko’s Uprising he was a member of The Replacement Interim Council, thereby he was sent to the Prussian prison. Later he was the senator of the voivode of the Varsovian Principality. Klaudyna’s mother was Justyna from Dzieduszycki’s, the educated woman with quite original interests.

In 1806, after the victory of Napoleon over Prussia, Ksawery Działynski with other representants of the society went to Berlin to greet the victorious emperor. Soon after the creation of the Varsovian Principality he entered into the depot of the Ruling Committee, later he took over an office the senator of the voivode. In the period of the defeat of the Napoleon Klaudyna stayed with the family in Dresden and later because of sister Gabriel’s diseases they moved to Cieplice. Then Działyński family, running from approaching Russian armies they left to Prague. In 1814 the family came back to Konarzewo. The earl Działyński quit politics. He took part only in very important events of the contemporary the Great Principality of Poznań.

(Klaudynówka - the place of birth of our patroness)
After her father’s death, the mother of Klaudyna, set out on a journey to Warsaw, Vienna and Paris. There Klaudyna received piano lessons, diction, dance, drawings by well-known experts. In 1823 she came back with the mother to Konarzewo.

(Estate of Klaudyna Potocka in Konarzewo)
In the summer of 1825 in Warsaw on engagement of Klaudyna Działyńska with Bernard Potocki took place. The wedding took place in September the same year.
At the time of November's Uprising both Potocki family and her brother Tytus Działyński and Karol Marcinkowski became initiators of the creation of the Poznań cavalry regiment. Klaudyna’s husband also joined this formation, delivering quite big sum of money. Also Klaudyna devoted to this aim handsome funds. In consequence she and other inhabitants of Great Poland - Emily Sczaniecka in the comparatively greatest degree contributed to assembling means and equipment the Poznań cavalry. By the end of January 1831 the first squadron of uhlans under a command of Augustine Brzezański were included into regular army.

Klaudyna together with their sister-in-law Celestyna Działyńska and with Emily Sczaniecka often visited the camp, where they could find they closest family, also they were taking care of the ill.

Klaudyna Potocka with huge devotion endured to the end of uprising, nursing wounded and ill. Only after the surrender of Warsaw she decided to leave.

After her interrogation by Prussian authorities, she left to Dresden. There she organized Polish Ladies Committee of the Charity which took care of assembling funds for help to emigrants. She also formed in Dresden Polish Shelter, where compatriots could stay for a few days and relax. Numerous efforts, works, emotions destroyed her weak organism, the first tuberculosis symptoms appeared. Under pressure of Russian authorities many collaborators of Potocka had to leave Dresden and went to France. She worked with Adam Mickiewicz in the effort of editing of Garczyński's poems, took care of the distribution of this poet’s works, and also Mickiewicz's, Slowacki's and others. In the cours of years the disease made progresses and despite the efforts of her husband, friends and doctors, not much could her help. She died on 8th June in 1836 in Geneva. She was buried on the local cemetery, where her corpse stayed to 1879, later in the consequence of the liquidation of the cemetery it was transferred to the Montmorency cemetery in Paris.

The deeds of Klaudyna Potocka will forever stay in the memory of Poles.

At present our school High School no. 5 bears the name of Klaudyna Potocka.

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