About
The Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw includes eight institutes, a botanic garden, three field stations, and five laboratories/core facilities. It hires nearly 380 employees, including ca. 200 academic staff. Each year, about 700 students learn biology, biotechnology and environmental protection, while c. 120 graduate students develop their PhD projects. The main building is located at 1 Miecznikowa St.; some laboratories and offices are also in the neighbouring Centre for Biological and Chemical Research, while the Botanic Garden is situated in Aleje Ujazdowskie, close to the Łazienki Park. The field stations are located in Białowieża, the heart of the Białowieża Primeval Forest, and in the Masurian Lake District: in Urwitałty (bordering Łuknajno Lake, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar site) and in Pilchy.
The Faculty of Biology is in the line of succession from the Faculty of Philosophy of the Royal University of Warsaw, established in 1816, where Botany and Zoology were taught. The Botanic Garden of the University of Warsaw was founded in 1818. Following the university’s closure in 1831, the research and teaching continued in other institutions, including the Main School (1862-1869) and the Russian Imperial University of Warsaw (1869-1915). The Polish university was reopened in 1915, including the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science. The Faculty of Biology has been an independent unit of the university since 1969.