Zofia Romanowiczówna (1842-1935) - Lviv diarist and social activist

Zofia Romanowiczówna is usually presented as a participant in the January Uprising, a teacher, and also a member of Lviv women’s associations. Undoubtedly, the aforementioned activities cannot be ignored, however no one can forget that she was primarily a human being, driven by feelings, a human being with all her weaknesses, but also with her advantages. Since both professional and patriotic activity was only an addition to her rich inner life, the image of which she outlined in her diary, which was kept throughout almost all of her long life. Zofia Romanowiczówna, as well as her further fates, perfectly illustrate the path that the emancipated women of the time had to go through –from a certain kind of stagnation to a conscious struggle for herself, as a woman and a human being, capable of self-maintenance without the need of the support by a man. This article is only an attempt to present the figure of a Lviv woman, her motivation, and it also emphasizes her activity in the social and patriotic field.