Lviv Polytechnic
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Lviv Polytechnic National University (Ukrainian: Львівська політехніка Національний університет, Polish: Politechnika Lwowska, Russian: Национальный Львовский Политехнический Университет) is the biggest scientific university in Lviv. Since its foundation in 1844 it was one of the most important centres of science and technological development in Central Europe. In the interbellum period, the Polytechnic was one of the most important technical colleges in Poland, together with the Warsaw Polytechnic.
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[edit] History
Technical Academy was opened in Lviv. Its first director was an Austrian Florian Schindler. It was situated at the corner of Virmenska and Teatralna streets in the building of Darovsky. The school had two departments - technical and commercial, education lasted three years.
Lviv's center was shelled by the Austrian artillery of General Wilhelm Hammerstein (see: Revolutions of 1848), during which the building of the Technical Academy was destroyed by the fire. Lectures were replaced in Town Municipality building (3-rd floor) and continued there till 1850.
The beginning of studies in the newly-restored building.
The number of students at the Technical Academy was 220, out of which 98 were Polish, 50 Jewish, 48 German, 19 Ukrainan/Ruthenian, 4 Czech and 2 Hungarian. In the same year, professor Wawrzyniec Zmurko (graduate of the Vienna Polytechnic) became director of the Department of Mathematics, as the first Pole in the history of the school. Zmurko is considered as founder of the Lwow School of Mathematics.
The beginning of the Academy reorganization, which was suggested by Jozef Weiser. He wanted the Academy to be modelled after Paris Polytechnic, with two-level education.
A Decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I established Polish as the official language of the school. Most professors not proficient in Polish left the Polytechnic.
The Ministry of Affairs of Religions and Education gave permission to teach chemical technologies.
Professor of physics Feliks Strzelecki was elected as the first Rector.
Academy obtained permission to build new academic premises. Julian Zachariewicz was elected as the construction superintendent. He ordered that the facade of the building be modelled after the building of the Munich Polytechnic.
The first telephone conversation on the territory of the Austro-Hungarian empire took place, followed by lecture of Doctor Roman Gostkowski. Telephone line connected the Assembly Hall of the Main Building with the premises of the Department of Technical Chemistry.
Inauguration of the new Rector - Professor of architecture Julian Zachariewicz. On the same day, consecration of newly-constructed school's building took place, carried out by three Lvov's Archbishops - Roman-Catholic, Greek-Catholic and Armenian-Catholic and witnessed by Governor of Galicia, Alfred Potocki.
Technical Academy was renamed a Polytechnical School (Technische Hochschule). However, the rector as well as other professors refrained from using a German-sounding name, and insisted on calling it in Polish Szkola Politechniczna.
Emperor Frantz-Jozeph visited the Polytechnical School. During that visit he ordered Jan Matejko to depict the technical progress of mankind in 11 pictures. Now these pictures decorate the Assembly Hall. The Emperor signed a guest book in Polish, the book is now kept in Wroclaw.
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Assembly Hall with 11 pictures
Due to efforts of Stanislaw Madejski, Minister of Education of Galicia, diplomas of the Polytechnic are regarded equal to diplomas of other renowned European schools of this kind.
The 50th jubilee of the Polytechnical School. To commemorate that date professor Wladyslaw Zajaczkowski published the book "The Imperial Polytechnical School in Lviv. Historical essay on its foundation and development as well as its present state".
Polytechnic School Statute was adopted.
Lviv Polytechnical School possessed the second place in the number of students after Vienna.
As there were no limits on foreign students, in that year students from Russian part of Poland made some 30% of all. In that year, the school owned 11 laboratories and an astronomical station, and its library had some 20 000 books.
- November 1918
Students and professors of the Polytechnic take part in the Polish-Ukrainian war over Eastern Galicia. Among those fighting on Polish side, there are Kazimierz Bartel, Stefan Bryla and Antoni Wereszczynski, who later became the rector.
Unification of Agricultural Academy (Dubliany) and Higher School of Forestry (Lviv) with Politechnical School.
Adoption of the New Statute and renaming the Polytechnical School to Lviv Polytechnic.
Lviv Polytechnic is awarded by the Polish Government with Cross of Defenders of Lwow. Earlier in that year, Marshall of France Ferdinand Foch comes to Lviv and is awarded the title of doctor honoris causa of the school.
Council of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of Polytechnic conferred academic rank of Honorary Doctor to professor Nils Handson (Stockholm, Sweden).
Construction of the building of the Library on Professor Street 1 was finished.
President Ignacy Moscicki awards the school with Order Polonia Restituta in appreciation of its achievements.
- October 1939
Lviv Polytechnic was renamed to Lviv Polytechnical Institute.
On Vuletsky Hills Germans, with help from Ukrainian nationalists, shot professors of the Polytechnic Institute - Wlodzimierz Krukowski, Antoni Łomnicki, Stanislaw Pilat, Włodzimierz Stożek, Kasper Weigel, Roman Witkiewicz and others.
Professor Kazimierz Bartel was murdered in the basements of Gestapo headquarters.
Special three-month courses for electrical engineers, road and bridge civil engineers, agrarian engineers, etc. were working in the premises, of the present Mechanical Technology Department. After the war, these classes were continued in Gliwice.
- Autumn 1944
The 100th jubilee of Lviv Polytechnical Institute was celebrated very quietly in Lviv - the Second World War was still going on.
Geodetic Department was founded. Most Polish professors, together with Polish population of the city, leave Lviv, heading mostly to the Regained Territories. Polish traditions of the Polytechnic are until today continued at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice and Wrocław University of Technology.
- Since October 1946
Lviv Polytechnical Institute began to publish the periodical newspaper Lviv Polytechnic.
Radioengineering Department was founded.
Automation, Electromechanical and Mechanical Technology Departments was founded.
Economical Engineering Department was founded.
Department of Technology of Organic Substances was founded.
The second building of the Library was erected.
Heating Engineering Department was founded.
Democratic Changes began at Polytechnical Institute
Inauguration of the first democratically elected Rector for the last 50 years - Yu. Rudavsky.
Computer Engineering Department and Information Technology Department was founded.
Institute of Humanities was founded on the basis of the following chairs: History of Ukraine, its Science and Technology Ukrainian Language Politology Philosophy Foreign Languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese)
Department of Applied Mathematics was founded.
- June 1993
Lviv Polytechnical Institute got the status of university becoming Lviv Polytechnic State University.
Lviv Polytechnic got the status of national university becoming Lviv Polytechnic National University.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Kazimierz Bartel
- Piotr Wilniewczyc
- Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann
- Władysław Sikorski
- Włodzimierz Puchalski
- Jan Jagmin-Sadowski
[edit] Notable professors
[edit] Other
[edit] References
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