Kolberg was born in Przysucha, the son of the German Julius(z) Kolberg, a professor of the Warsaw University, and Fryderyka née Mercoeur, Warsaw-born while being of French descendance. His family's acquaintances included Samuel Linde, Nicolas (Mikołaj) Chopin (father of Frédéric Chopin), and Kazimierz Brodziński.
Volume XXIII "Kaliskie", 1890Grave of Oskar Kolberg at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków
He is best known for his work titled Lud (re-published as Dzieła Wszystkie), a compilation of folk traditions from all the Polish regions. Between 1857–1890 he published 33 volumes, and after his death, a further 3 volumes were published. The compilation contains 12,000 folk songs, 1,250 folk tales, 670 fairy tales, 2,700 proverbs, 350 riddles, 15 folk spectacles and many other ethnographic documents.
Kolberg also compiled some ethnographic information on neighboring regions. He died in Kraków.
Works
Pieśni ludu polskiego (Songs of Polish Folklore) - vol. 1 (Supplement vol. 70)
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