The University of Warsaw

Introduction 9 I. Warsaw in the time of the Duchy of Warsaw and the Congress Kingdom (1807–1831) 21 Images and symbols 21 The inception of the Congress Kingdom 26 The last years of the Congress Kingdom 31 The cultural achievements of the Congress Kingdom 36 II. The establishment of the University of Warsaw 41 Plans for founding a University in Warsaw at the turn of the eighteenth century 41 The Nobles’ Academy of the Corps of Cadets, or the School of Chivalry 43 The founding of the University 53 The emblem and banner of the University 58 The inauguration of the University 59 The functioning and organization of the University 64 Rector Wojciech A. Szweykowski 68 The University and the Society of Friends of Learning 71 The role of Stanisław Kostka Potocki and Stanisław Staszic in organizing education in Warsaw 73 The monument to Nicolaus Copernicus 75 III. The Faculty of Science and Fine Arts – education and art 81 The programme of teaching of the “Fine Sciences” 81 The historic precinct of the University (the Campus) 83 The Botanic Garden and Astronomical Observatory in Aleje Ujazdowskie 96 Outstanding Professors of the Faculty of Sciences and Fine Arts 100 Fryderyk Chopin’s university studies 105 IV. The Fine Arts Department and its role in shaping the artistic culture of Warsaw 111 The impact of the royal collection of sculptures at the turn of the eighteenth century 114 The creation of the scientifi c and artistic collections of the University 121 The functioning of the Fine Arts Department 127 The scholarship policy of the University 129 The University’s exhibitions of Fine Arts 130 The impact of the University’s academic circles and of its collections of plaster casts and prints on artistic culture in Warsaw 134 The history of a certain competition topic 138 The amphitheatre, or the painting studio at the University of Warsaw 142 V. The period between the Uprisings and the legacy of the first University of Warsaw 153 The dissolution of the University and the fate of its buildings to the mid-nineteenth century 153 The School of Fine Arts 1844–1862 155 The seat of the School of Fine Arts and its professors 157 On some works of art of mid-nineteenth-century Warsaw 163 VI. The Main School and its legacy 175 Positivist Background 175 The political situation in the Congress Kingdom in the 1860s 176 The organization of the Main School, its structure and functioning 178 The University buildings in the time of the Main School 182 The legacy of the Main School 188 The January Uprising and the students of the Main School 189 The closure of the Main School and opening of the Imperial University 191 The University gate 194 VII. The University of Warsaw in the years 1915–1945 203 On the road to independence and rebirth 203 The functioning of the reborn University 212 The tragedy of the Second World War, the Underground University and the Warsaw Uprising 224 VIII. The University of Warsaw in the People’s Republic of Poland (1944/1952–1980) 239 Post-war reconstruction 239 Concerning old photographs, the University’s banner and the Rector’s insignia 243 Eminent scholars and international congresses 247 Some thoughts on the University Library Print R Room 249 March 1968 250 IX. The Solidarity Decade and the rise of the Third Republic 259 Signs of freedom, important visits and new University buildings 268 X. New infrastructure and scientific achievements of the University of Warsaw in the years 2005–2017 285 Epilogue 309 Appendix 1. The Chopins’ apartment at the University campus 315 Appendix 2. Stanisław Kostka Potocki. The Founder of the University of Warsaw Museum of the Fine Arts 325 Appendix 3. Letter of artists – professors of the Fine Arts Department of the Royal University of Warsaw 334 Appendix 4. Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi. The University of Warsaw deposit at the National Museum in Warsaw 341 Appendix 5. Nobel Prize laureates linked with the University of Warsaw 345 A calendar of the University of Warsaw’s history 354 Bibliography 375 Index 395 List of illustrations 421