Przegląd Geograficzny T. 31 Supplement (1959)
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POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY PRZEGLĄD GEOGRAFICZNY POLISH GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW VOL. XXXI. SUPPLEMENT PAŃSTWOWE WYDAWNICTWO NAUKOWE WARSZAWA 1959 http://rcin.org.pl POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY PRZEGLĄD GEOGRAFICZNY POLISH GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW VOL. XXXI. SUPPLEMENT PAŃSTWOWE WYDAWNICTWO NAUKOWE WARSZAWA 1959 http://rcin.org.pl EDITORIAL STAFF Editor: Stanisław Leszczycki, Assistant Editors: Jerzy Kon- dracki, Jerzy Kostrowicki, Associate Editors: Rajmund Ga- lon, Mieczysław Klimaszewski, Managing Editor: Antoni Kukliński EDITORIAL COUNCIL Józef Barbag, Julian Czyżewski, Jan Dylik, Kazimierz Dzie- woński, Adam Malicki, Bolesław Olszewicz, Józef Wąsowicz, Maria Kiełczewska-Zaleska, August Zierhoffer EDITORIAL OFFICE: INSTYTUT GEOGRAFII PAN Warszawa 64, Poland, Krakowskie Przedmieście 30 PAŃSTWOWE WYDAWNICTWO NAUKOWE WARSZAWA, UL. MIODOWA 10 Nakład 2454 + 296 egz. + wklejki Oddano do składania 31.X.1959 r. Podpisano do druku 25.1.1960 r. Ark. wyd. 17, druk. 11,75-ark. Druk ukończono w styczniu 1960 r. Papier ilustr. 70 g, 70X100 V kl. Zam. nr C-343 z dn. 31.X.1959 r. Druk WZKart. Warszawa http://rcin.org.pl STANISLAW LESZCZYCKI Five Years' Activity of the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 1953 — 1958 During the inter-war years, a clear tendency had already appeared among Polish geographers to connect their work with practical tasks resulting from state or social needs. Polish geographers participated in the work on improving the development of the eastern territories and mountainous lands, in regional planning etc., conducting commissioned work alongside their purely scientific and theoretical elaborations as well as fulfilling didactic and popularization activities. This tendency appeared even more clearly after World War II. A task of new dimensions attracted their attention — acquainting the Polish people with the Western Territories. In People's Poland, where area development planning was being widely extended, geographers partici- pated in regional and national planning, partly in local and town planning, creating with time a new branch of applied science called „urbanistic physiography" 1. Geographers also participated in work directed by various economic institutions. The tasks were tremendous, but the number of geographers, relatively insignificant and dispersed in seven university centres. The scientific work of the university centres, burdened with basic educational tasks, did not keep pace with the pressing state needs. In 1950—1951, an extensive and all-embracing discussion was conduc- ted in Poland on the further development of science in preparation of the First all-Polish Congress of Science. Naturally, geography participated in that action. At the Congress in 1951, the future basic tasks for Polish geography were set2. These tasks required a body to coordinate the work and which had sufficient means at its disposal for their realization. After the war, coordinating activity was in the hands of the Polish Geographical Society which as a social body could not, for a longer time; be a match for a permanent research centre. It was therefore necessary to establish the state geographic research institute. On the one hand, state needs requiring speedy fulfillment substantia- i „Przegląd Geograficzny" XXVII, 3/4, Warszawa 1955. ^Leszczycki S. The State of Geography in Poland and Perspectives for its development. Report of the Geography sub-section at the First all-Polish Congress of Science (Polish only). „Przegląd Geograficzny" XXIII, Warszawa 1950—1951. http://rcin.org.pl 4 Stanisław Leszczvcki ted its existence by its efficient guidance in coordinating geographic research on a national scale. On the other hand, the deepening of geo- graphic research required an ever further advancement of specialization and creating of theoretical basis for geographical sciences for which there was no longer any place at the universities parallelly fulfilling their educational functions. The far-reaching advances of specialization required at the same time coordination aimed at a universal undertaking of certain tasks such as regional ones; that is why specialized laboratories had to be within the framework of one institution. In 1952, the Polish Academy of Sciences was set up as an academy of a new type, having its own research institutes. The Institute of Geography was established within the Academy a year later on October 15, 1953. It was set up on the basis of the Resolution of the Government of Octo- ber 10, 1953. It obtained statutes in which the tasks and rights of the Institute were confirmed. The Institute's tasks are: conducting of scienti- fic research work according to the established plan, making accessible the results of its research for practical needs, cooperating as well as exchanging experiences with other institutions in Poland and abroad in conducting and utilizing scientific research, issuing scientific publications, educating and perfecting scientific staff, organizing conferences and con- gresses as well as general scientific supervision over the work of the centres not belonging to the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) at the request of the respective authorities. The Institute is a legal body. Within its jurisdiction lies the conference of scientific degrees on the same principles as those in force at the Universities. The Institute obtains its own independent budget within that of the Polish Academy of Sciences, with a number of positions for employing permanent staff. The establishment of the Geographical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IG PAN) was warmly welcomed by the majority of Polish geographers. This is attested to by the resolution of the Plenary Assembly of the Polish Geographical Society passed on December 13, 1953 3. The resolution stated: „The Plenary Assembly of the Polish Geographical Society gladly greets the creation of the Geographical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences as an autonomous research centre, seeing in this the fulfilment of its tasks and aims which it fruitlessly endeavored to achieve in the inter-war period, and which has only been fulfilled in People's Poland. Due to the establishment of the Geographical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, geography gained an official institution (in addition to universities) which can fully concern itself with and heed the proper development of geography as a science in Poland. The Plenary Assembly of the Polish Geographical Society fully appreciates the historic signifi- cance of the establishment of the Geographical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and that is why it transfers to it willingly a certain portion of its works as well as part of its property". Due to this resolution, the Institute immediately gained a material base which consisted of a library containing 18,617 volumes, of books, serial publications and periodicals as well as 8,471 sheets of maps. In 3 „Przegląd Geograficzny" XXVI, 1, Warszawa 1954. http://rcin.org.pl Fig. 1. The organization of the Institute http://rcin.org.pl 6 Stanisław Leszczvcki addition, the Institute took over from the Polish Geographical Society its main publications, a collection of instruments, furniture as well as three research stations in Wojcieszów (Sudety Mountains), Mikołajki (Mazury Lake District) and on Hala Gąsiennicowa (Tatra Mountains). In this manner, there was established by the end of 1953, a geograp- hical research centre, which due to its concentration of scientific means and forces could undertake the coordination of the scientific work on a national scale. Having at its disposal the means, possibilities for specia- lization as well as for essential and organizational scientific coordination, it elaborated a plan for the most important research for the coming period. This straitened the sphere of research conducted previously by the Polish Geographical Society. The limitation of the field of research permitted to deal more perfectly with the chosen topics. This gave speedier and better results for the work conducted. However, this caused, at the same time, overlooking certain fields such as medical geography, geography of culture, political geography or unsatisfactorily considering others such as regional geography, oceanography, geography of soils, biogeography, historic geography, geography of communication, etc. In October 1953 the Institute's managing body was appointed made up of the director, a deputy director for scientific questions, a deputy director for administrative matters as well as a scientific secretary. In December 1955, the scientific secretariat of PAN appointed the first Scientific Council of the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IG PAN) for three years. The first Scientific Council was made up of 19 eminent geographers, mainly university professors as well as seven representatives from other institutions and central government offices. It immediately proceeded to organize the Institute. The statutes pro- vided for the establishment of four departments with numerous research sections. In the first phase, two sections of the Physical Geography De- partment in Cracow and Toruń were organized, a section of the history of geography in Wrocław, two sections at the Economic Geography De- partament in Warsaw and the Cartography Departament with an inde- pendent section in Lublin. In addition the sections for Geographic Docu- mentation and Publications were established. From 1954, a systematic expansion of the Institute ensued, with new research