Radziwiłł Family (Radziwiłłowie): one of the oldest and largest Polish-Lithuanian noble families. The family’s coat of arms is Trąby. The origins of the clan can be traced back to the 15th century. Its progenitor was Krystyn Ościk who was a notable in the court of Lithuanian Prince Witold. His son Radziwiłł Óścikowicz was the Great Marshall of Lithuania. Members of the family performed most important administrative and military functions in the Republic of Both Nations: they were chancellors, governors and hetmans of Lithuania. Since the beginning of the 17th century, the family divided into two lines: one associated with Birżai and the second with Nieśwież. In 19th century some members of the clan settled down in the central and western Poland, and continued to maintain a significant influence on the nations ‘ political life. In the interwar period the Radziwiłł family members were leaders of conservative political parties: Janusz was the head of the party in Poland and Konstanty presided over the one in Lithuania. Descendants of the family still live in Poland.
Radziwiłł Family
The term was created within the framework of the project Zapisywanie świata żydowskiego w Polsce [recording the Jewish environment in Poland], whose author is Anka Grupińska, a well-known Polish journalist and writer, specializing in the modern history of the Polish Jews. The project, initiated in 2006 by the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, consists in recording interviews with Polish Jews from all generations.
