closely, thought that he was nobody compared with them in this respect, and often maliciously told that it was Mr. Ptak that Wyspiański meant when writing about birds, eagles and shit. Maybe they did this out of envy, unable to endure the boasting parvenu. On the other hand, having gained a serious fortune, he threw himself into politics with panache and impudence typical for him, though he did not have much talent for it. Over the years, he passed almost all parties and tried to be their zealous follower. Not wanting to go against the trend, he even lost himself in the Socialist faction, and motivated a change of opinion saying that now the whole world is going to the left. (...) In spite of everything that happened, you can see that he did not lose his sentiment for me, because in 1932, when I was going to Pleszów through his village, not only did he, along with others, prepare a great honorary horse escort, but welcomed me very cordially, he did not fail to mention that he does so on the spot where Kościuszko rested, when he went to Racławice and expressed confidence that I would be given the completion of the work begun by Kościuszko and the assurance of freedom not only to Poland, but also to peasants who did not have it so far. I saw that he spoke honestly and powerfully, because the policeman, alarmed, had recorded his entire speech.” Franciszek Ptak died after long illness on 29 July 1936 at the Bonifratres Hospital in Kraków. He was buried at the parish cemetery in Raciborowice three days later, on August 1. Family Franciszek and Marcjanna (née Szafrańska) Ptak had twelve children: five sons and seven daughters. Among their grandchildren were Włodzimierz Ptak, an immunologist, and Wiesław Ptak, a chemist. Commemoration and cultural references One of the streets in Kraków, in the district Bieńczyce, was named after Franciszek Ptak. A few souvenirs of Ptak have been preserved, including a wide leather belt, richly decorated and studded with brass studs. Natural-size oil portraits of Franciszek and Marcjanna Ptak by Józef Krasnowolski were put into a deposit of the Regional Chamber of Culture Center of the then- Vladimir Lenin Steelworks in 1973 by Władysław Ptak, the son of Franciszek and Marcjanna. Currently, the portraits are owned by the C. K. Norwid Culture Centre in Kraków (Ośrodek Kultury im. Cypriana