Ulryk Hozjusz was a Polish noble of German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 descent. Born in Pforzheim

Pforzheim

Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...

, he lived most of his life in Poland, at the court of the Polish kings and Grand Dukes of Lithuania. In early 16th century he was made a high-ranking official at the Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 mint

Mint (coin)

A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...

. Soon after he was transferred to Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

 to head the newly-opened Lithuanian Mint

Lithuanian Mint

Lithuanian Mint is the state-owned enterprise, responsible for the mintage of coins and decorations of Lithuania. The shareholding is managed by the central bank of Lithuania. Lithuanian mintage tradition traces its history back to Algirdas times, when in Vilnius, capital city of Lithuania, was...

 there. With time he also rose to the rank of mayor (horodniczy) of Vilnius. He is remembered as the founder of the Green Bridge

Green Bridge (Vilnius)

The Green Bridge is a bridge over the Neris River in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is the oldest bridge in the city and connects city center with Šnipiškės.-History:...

, one of the first permanent bridges across the Neris River and the first recorded owner of the village of Bezdonys

Bezdonys

Bezdonys is a town in Lithuania, located to the north of Vilnius, within the Vilnius district municipality. It is best known for the 1908 Bezdany raid, one of the most daring and successful train robberies in history. According to the 2001 census, the town had 857 inhabitants.-History:The site of...

 (since 1516). His son, Stanislaus Hosius

Stanislaus Hosius

Stanislaus Hosius was a cardinal, since 1551 Prince-Bishop in Bishopric of Warmia, Poland since 1558 papal legate to the Holy Roman Emperor's Imperial Court in Vienna, Austria and since 1566 a papal legate to Poland.Hosius was born in Kraków as the son of Ulrich Hos of Pforzheim and studied law...

, rose to the ranks of a Catholic bishop, cardinal and a Papal legate.