His death sentence for taking part in the January Uprising was commuted to twelve years of hard labour in Siberia, and it was there that the physician Benedykt Dybowski became a pioneer of research into the fauna of Lake Baikal. In 2010 Narodowy Bank Polski dedicated a 2 złote coin to him.

The reverse carries a stylised portrait of the scientist, the dates «1833/1930» on the left and «BENEDYKT DYBOWSKI» along the right edge; both sides of the coin were designed by Ewa Tyc-Karpińska. Dybowski was born on 12 May 1833 in Adamaryn near Minsk, studied medicine in Dorpat and, while still a student, won a gold medal for a study of the freshwater fish of Estonia; he received his medical diploma in Berlin in 1860.

Arrested in 1864, he was sent to Siberia; once released from forced labour, he settled in Kultuk on Lake Baikal and described many species unknown to science, above all amphipods. He later taught at the University of Lwów and lived to 96. The coin was issued on 13 October 2010 with a mintage of 1,200,000 in the «Polish Travellers and Explorers» series.

The coin suits collections on science, exploration and Siberia. Uncirculated (UNC): the coin never circulated, shows no wear and keeps its mint lustre.

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