Antoni Jackows- Antoni Jackowski • ki • Małgorzata Małgorzata Taborska Taborska 2015 88 1 165 xxx 2014 xxx 2014 Geographia Polonica 2015, Volume 88, Issue 1, pp. 165-172 INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES www.igipz.pan.pl www.geographiapolonica.pl THE DEVELOPMENT OF GEOGRAPHICAL IDEAS IN POLAND: EXHIBITION AT THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Antoni Jackowski1,2 • Małgorzata Taborska3 1 Institute of Geography and Spatial Management Jagiellonian University Gronostajowa 7, 31-007 Krakow: Poland 2 Polish Geographical Society Krakowskie Przedmieście 30, 00-927 Warsaw: Poland e-mail: [email protected] 3 Jagiellonian University Museum Jagiellońska 15, 31-010 Krakow: Poland e-mail: [email protected] The exhibition entitled “The Development in 1934, were dedicated exclusively to achieve- of Geographical Ideas in Poland”, which ments in cartography. opened in Collegium Maius, accompanied the The ceremonial opening of the exhibition International Geographical Union (IGU) Re- was attended by several hundred geogra- gional Conference in Krakow (18-22 August phers from all over the world. Among the spe- 2014). The event is organised by the Jagiel- cial guests present at the opening there were lonian University Museum and Institute of Ge- also descendants of such distinguished Polish ography and Spatial Management, Jagiel- geographers as Wincenty Pol (great-grand- lonian University. Its authors are Prof. Antoni son Julian Pol and great great-granddaugh- Jackowski, Institute of Geography and Spatial er Barbara Pol-Jelonek), Stanisław Pawłowski Management, Jagiellonian University, and Mu- (son Zbigniew), Wiktor Ormicki (son Jacek), seum Curator Dr. Małgorzata Taborska from Antoni Wrzosek (daughter Justyna), Jan Flis the Jagiellonian University Museum. The exhi- and Józef Szaflarski. The welcome speech- bition is the first on this topic in Poland. Pre- es were delivered by Prof. Krzysztof Stopka, vious exhibitions, for example, that accompa- Director of the Jagiellonian University Mu- nying the 14th IGU Congress held in Warsaw seum, Prof. Piotr Laidler, Vice-Rector of the VARIA: CHRONICLE _GP2015-88-1.indb 165 2015-03-16 12:50:32 166 Antoni Jackowski • Małgorzata Taborska Jagiellonian University, Prof. Marek Degórski, is prepared by Prof. Jacek Kozak, Jagiellonian Chairman of the Steering Committee of the University together with Dr. Natalia Kolecka Conference, and Prof. Vladimir Kolossov, Presi- and Dominik Kaim. dent of the International Geographical Union. Room II is devoted to the origins of Polish Organising the exhibition was not easy geography and its development up to the es- and it took three years to prepare. The exhi- tablishment of the Commission of National bition features a number of valuable items: Education in 1773. Early chronicles describ- old prints, publications, maps, scientific ing our land and history are – next to works instruments, teaching aids, archival materi- on astronomy – the first signs of the develop- als. The exhibits come from numerous collec- ment of geography in Poland. Chorographia tions, including those of the Natural Sciences Regni Poloniae by Jan Długosz, who lived be- Library, Jagiellonian University, the Carto- tween the years 1415 and 1480 and was the graphic Collection of the Institute of Geogra- greatest Polish chronicler of all, is the earli- phy and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian est detailed description of Polish geography. University, the Jagiellonian Library, the Jagiel- In the Renaissance, knowledge of Polish ge- lonian University Archive, the National Library, ography was mainly popularised across Eu- the National Digital Archive, the National rope by the University of Krakow. The earli- Museum in Warsaw, the National Museum est geography lectures were held as early in Krakow, the Archive of Science of the Pol- as 1490. Among the lecturers were, amongst ish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and the Polish other scholars, the authors of the first geog- Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) in Kra- raphy textbooks: Jan of Głogów, Jan of Stob- kow, the Archive of PAN in Warsaw, Central nica, Miechowita. The earliest maps also go Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw, the back to that time. They are known as Tabu- Jagiellonian University Museum, the Archive la Sarmatiae (Krakow 1526-1528) and Map- of the Polish Geographical Society and other pa in qua illustrantur ditiones Regni Poloniae geographical institutions and individuals. Five ac Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae (Krakow 1526- exhibition rooms on the ground floor of the 1528), both by Bernard Wapowski, who lived Collegium Maius depict key developments between 1450 and 1535). Lecturers used in the history of Polish geography until 1945. globes as teaching aids some of which are Each room features a panel showing a time- on display, including the famous Jagiellon- line of the development of Polish geography ian Globe (1511), Martin Behaim’s terrestri- in the respective period and discussing the al globe (1492) and Gerardus Mercator’s ter- major breakthroughs. restrial globe (1541). The items displayed also Room I introduces the viewer to the over- include such instruments as the astrolabe all exhibition by depicting the map as a key owned by Jan Brożek, a Krakow Academy tool of a geographer’s work. The maps on dis- professor (ca. 1370), and a torquetum made play, some of them truly unique, are displayed for Marcin Bylica (1487). Other showcased together with a number of instruments, items include early textbooks on geogra- including an actinometer (1876), aspiration phy, still known at the time as cosmography. psychrometer by Assmann (1895), artificial The textbooks were written by Jan of Głogów horizon for hydrographic surveying (19th (1506) and Jan of Stobnica (1512). One high- century) and a mirror stereoscope (1930s). light is Tractatus de duabus Sarmatiis (The By using the stereoscope, visitors can view Tretease on Two Sarmatias) (1517), a treatise an aerial photograph of Tyniec dating back by Maciej of Miechów (Miechowita), rector to 1975. In the room, visitors can also see of the Jagiellonian University, re-elected for a continuously-looped show entitled “Area several terms of office. The work was the first of Jaworki near Szczawnica on various carto- modern geographical study of the eastern graphic materials – A journey through the his- part of Europe and was translated into many tory of geography and GIS”. The presentation languages. Viewers can also admire Marcin Geographia Polonica 2015, 88, 1, pp. 165-172 _GP2015-88-1.indb 166 2015-03-16 12:50:33 The development of geographical ideas in Poland: Exhibition at the Jagiellonian University… 167 Kromer’s work on Poland (1578), the first the public acquainted with Polish lands. This treatise on meteorology by Andrzej Mirow- facilitated the integration of Poles who were ski (1596), and studies by Mikołaj Krzysztof deprived of their homeland and were living Radziwił (nicknamed the ‘Orphan’) from his in territories divided between three different pilgrimage to the Holy Land (1611), by Woj- countries. Geography books gave Poles the ciech Tylkowski about meteorology (1669), only opportunity to learn about Polish lands. by Gabriel Rzączyński about Poland (1721), At that time, geography started to con- as well as writings by Karol Wyrwicz, Fran- solidate its scholarly foundations and its sta- ciszek Siarczyński, Wawrzyniec Surowiecki, tus as an independent scientific discipline. Stanisław Staszic, and Hugo Kołłątaj. This In the mid-19th century it was recognised group of exhibits also include Jeografia, czy- as a separate subject for academic studies. li opisanie matematyczne i fizyczne Ziemi (Ge- Its paramount importance for patriotic edu- ography or Mathematical and Physical De- cation, especially of youth, was also noticed. scription of the Earth) by Jan Śniadecki (1804), Geography, in addition to history and Polish which significantly contributed to the promo- language, was one of the educational compo- tion of Polish geography. nents that were to prepare the future officials There is also a rich collection of maps: of an independent Poland. by Bernard Wapowski (1526-1528), Andrzej Considering the budding industry found Pograbka (1569), Gerardus Mercator (1578), in Polish lands and the expanding transport Wacław Grodecki (1587), Abraham Ortelius network, research was initiated on the natural (1645), Giovanni Antonio Rizzi-Zannoni (1772) resources of Poland. A large proportion of the and Stanisław Staszic (1815). The showcased studies in this area were applied research. instruments include an astrolabe (ca. 1370), School geography also evolved becoming a mechanical armillary sphere (1510-1540), a key aspect of patriotic education. The politi- telescopes, barometers (including a water- cal situation and the wiping of Poland off the based barometer purchased by Jan Śniadecki map of Europe caused education on historical in Paris in 1786), compasses, as well as draw- geography to become a central focus. ing and measuring tools. The development The development of science, including of geography owes much to the Commis- geography, depended on the policy of the par- sion of National Education (1773-1794) and titioning powers. The situation was the most Hugo Kołłątaj. In the first half of the 19th favourable under Austrian rule where Poles century, the earliest geography journals start- enjoyed a relatively high degree of auton- ed to appear: Dziennik Podróży Lądowych omy. The greatest restrictions could be felt i ­Morskich (Diary of Land and Sea Travels,