Łukasiewicz and his Łańcut adventure

When we walk the streets of Łańcut today, it is hard to believe that this is where the journey of a man who literally illuminated the world began. Ignacy Łukasiewicz – the inventor of the kerosene lamp and a pioneer of the global oil industry – was not born in Łańcut, but this city played a key role in his life. It can be said that Łańcut was to Łukasiewicz what a port is to a sailor – the place from which he set out on a great journey. At the pharmacy, he learned the secrets of preparing medicines, and practiced accuracy and patience. At the same time, he was involved in patriotic and independence activities. It was during the Łańcut period that he came under the observation of the Austrian authorities for participation in secret national organizations. Later he worked in Lviv, where together with Jan Zeh he conducted experiments on the distillation of crude oil. The result of this research was the construction of the first modern kerosene lamp in 1853. Thanks to this invention, the night was no longer as dark as before, and the world entered a new era of lighting. Łańcut still remembers its famous apprentice. In the city center, there is Łukasiewicz and Zeh Street, named after the two pioneers of the oil industry. Interestingly, it connects the Market Square – a place associated with Jan Zeh – with Wałowa Street, where the pharmacy was located, where the young man practiced