 Due to Prussian harassment, in 1887, he renounced Prussian citizenship, and obtained Austrian citizenship, and sold his clinic in Chełmno to Leon Polewski, one of his employees (Rydygier already lived in the Austrian Partition of Poland).He was dean of the Medical Department and in the years 1901–1902 functioned as rector of Lwów University.He was mentor to many surgeons and future professors.