Count Władysław Zamoyski (1853–1924) was a French-born Polish nobleman (szlachcic), diplomat and heir of Kórnik, Głuchów, Janusz, Babin and Bargów (estates in the Grand Duchy of Poznań). Having acquired estates on the Polish side of the Tatra Mountains and in Zakopane, he was an early ecologist and philanthropist. He was mentor to Józef Retinger, who was to become an international political activist during the two world wars and beyond, following the death of the latter's father.
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Early life
He was born in Paris the elder son of general Władysław Zamoyski, Crimean War veteran, and Jadwiga née Działyńska. He had two sisters, Maria (1857–1858) who died in England and a further Maria Zamoyska (1860–1937). In 1871 he took the baccalauréat at the Lycée Charlemagne and between 1874 and 1878 made four attempts to gain entry to the École polytechnique. It is not certain that he succeeded as sources vary on the subject. He served in the French Army and rose to the rank of second lieutenant. As a representative of the French government, he travelled to Australia and Oceania to take part in exhibitions and brought back valuable ethnographical items.