Zabłocki

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Zabłocki (feminine: Zabłocka, plural: Zabłoccy) is a Polish noble family from the Jastrzębiec clan, associated with the Łada coat of arms. They took the name Zabłocki after acquiring Zabłocie Pułtuskie in Wielkopolska in 1500. The ending “-cki” means “of” (as in “of Zabłocie,” comparable to the German “von Zabłocie”).

Łada on red displays a silver horseshoe open to the south, with a golden cross on top; on each side a silver arrow and two hunting horns in the lower field. The helmet shows a golden crowned lion holding a sword. This coat of arms was first mentioned in 1248 and was named after the owner of the Łada estate, who belonged to the Jastrzębiec family and was the progenitor of the Zabłocki line.

A Polish saying about a clever plan ending in a big loss, “wyjść jak Zabłocki na mydle,” comes from Cyprian Franciszek Zabłocki (1792–1868). He owned land in Rybno and ran a soap factory he wanted to export via the port of Gdańsk. To avoid high tariffs, he tried to smuggle the soap by hiding waterproofed crates underwater and dragging them behind the barge. He passed the customs, but the waterproofing failed on every crate, and the cargo was completely lost.