History of the Faculty
Natural sciences at the Royal University of Warsaw (1816–1831)
The history of the Faculty of Biology is nearly as long as that of the University of Warsaw itself. When the Royal University of Warsaw was established in 1816, the word “biology” did not appear in the name of any of its five faculties. Natural science subjects such as geology, zoology, botany, and anthropology were taught at the Faculty of Philosophical Sciences. In 1818, the Botanical Garden was separated from the grounds of the Royal Łazienki Park and placed under the direction of Michał Szubert (1787–1860), a pioneer in plant anatomy and morphology. A year later, the Chair of Zoology was established, organized and led by the outstanding taxonomist Feliks Paweł Jarocki (1790–1865). It remained active until the university’s closure in 1831.
Zoological Cabinet, Main School, and the Imperial University of Warsaw (1831–1915)
After the University was closed in 1831, scientific research continued within the Zoological Cabinet, later incorporated into the Main School of Warsaw (1862–1869), and after its closure, into the Imperial University of Warsaw (1869–1915). In 1862, Benedykt Dybowski (1833–1930), a promoter of Darwin’s theory of evolution, lectured on zoology at the Main School. His successor, August Wrześniowski (1836–1892), was the founder of Polish protozoology. Among the distinguished scientists of this era were botany professor Edward Strasburger (1844–1912)—one of the discoverers of chromosomes and a founder of cytology and comparative and developmental plant anatomy—and zoologists such as ornithologist Władysław Taczanowski (1819–1890), ichthyologist Antoni Wałecki (1815–1897), and histologist Henryk Fryderyk Hoyer (1834–1907).
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences during the interwar period
At the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the Chair of Comparative Anatomy and Embryology was established in 1916, led by Jan Tur (1875–1942), a prominent teratologist and embryologist. Tur was a student of Russian scholar Pavel Mitrofanov (1857–1920), professor at the Imperial University of Warsaw, who also trained future professors of the reestablished University of Warsaw: embryologist and cytologist Józef Eismond (1862–1937) and histologist and embryologist Mieczysław Konopacki (1880–1939). Tur’s students included, among others: August Dehnel (1903–1962), organizer and first head of the Mammal Research Department in Białowieża; Zygmunt Kraczkiewicz (1900–1971), embryologist and vice-rector of UW; Stanisław Bilewicz (1903–1962), embryologist and head of the Department of Embryology (1953–1962) and later rector of the University of Physical Education in Warsaw (1956–1959).
Professor of zoology Konstanty Janicki (1876–1932) founded the Polish parasitological school. In 1918, the first Chair of Animal Physiology in Europe was established, led by Kazimierz Białaszewicz (1882–1943), a distinguished European physiologist and precursor of biochemistry, who played a key role in the scientific community in interwar Poland. The department also included Jan Dembowski (1889–1963), a prominent animal physiologist and later director of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, who also lectured at the University of Warsaw.
In 1919, the following departments were founded: the Chair of General Botany, led by Zygmunt Wóycicki (1871–1941), a florist, cytologist, and plant embryologist; the Chair of Plant Physiology, headed by Kazimierz Bassalik (1879–1960); and the Chair of Plant Systematics and Geography, directed by Bolesław Hryniewiecki (1876–1963). In 1925, the Chair of Cytology was established, led by Wacław Bruno Baehr (1873–1939), a renowned cytologist and cytogeneticist.
World War II
During the war, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences suffered heavy losses. Many staff members, including 12 professors, were killed. Several buildings housing the faculty’s biology units were burned down, including the former Main School building, the Museum building, and the structures in the Botanical Garden. Fortunately, the herbarium collections and the botanical library—including rare prints—were saved thanks to Alina Skirgiełło, who packed and transported them to the National Museum.
Biology at the University of Warsaw after World War II
After the war, the rapid development of the biological sciences led to the creation of new departments and chairs within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. In 1948, the Department of Genetics was established, followed in 1953 by the Biochemistry Laboratory—split off from the Chair of Plant Physiology and led by Zofia Kasprzyk (1917–2002). A year later, the Department of Ecology was founded. On the initiative of Irena Chmielewska (1905–1987), the Chair of Biochemistry was created in 1958. In 1960, the Chair of Microbiology was established, separated from the Chair of Plant Physiology (led by Kazimierz Bassalik and later Piotr Strebeyko), and headed by Władysław Kunicki-Goldfinger (1916–1995). Other departments were also created, such as the Department of Applied Phytosociology (1962), Parasitology (1963), and Immunology (1975). The Faculty of Biology officially separated from the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences in 1969.
The interwar and postwar history of the Faculty of Biology is associated with many outstanding professors who are no longer with us, including: Zygmunt Wóycicki, Wincenty L. Wiśniewski, Kazimierz Bassalik, Marian Gieysztor, Bolesław Hryniewiecki, Marian Rybicki, Zygmunt Kraczkiewicz, Tadeusz Jaczewski, Irena Rejment-Grochowska, Kazimierz Petrusewicz, Henryk Teleżyński, Kazimierz Tarwid, Zdzisław Raabe, Irena Chmielewska, Ludmiła Bassalik-Chabielska, Kazimierz Matusiak, Władysław Kunicki-Goldfinger, Andrzej Batko, Wacław Gajewski, Józef Szuleta, Kazimierz Toczka, Krystyna Izdebska-Szymona, Zbigniew Kwiatkowski, Kazimierz Dobrowolski, Piotr Strebeyko, Janusz Bogdan Faliński, Alina Skirgiełło, Zbigniew Podbielkowski, Władysław Matuszkiewicz, Andrzej Krzysztof Tarkowski, Roman Mycielski, Ewa Pieczyńska, Stanisław Lewak, Zbigniew Maciej Gliwicz, and Piotr Węgleński
Since the Faculty of Biology was established, its deans have been: Alina Skirgiełło (1969–1975), Irena Rejment-Grochowska (1975–1978), Kazimierz Dobrowolski (1978–1979), Ewa Pieczyńska (1979–1981), Zbigniew Kwiatkowski (1981–1984), Bronisław Cymborowski (1984–1987), Stanisław Lewak (1987–1993), Ewa Symonides (1993–1999), Michał Kozakiewicz (1999–2005), Joanna Pijanowska (2005–2012), Agnieszka Mostowska (2012–2020). Since September 1, 2020, the dean has been Krzysztof Spalik.
Our Presence
Professors from the Faculty of Biology have held important positions at the University of Warsaw. Kazimierz Dobrowolski served as rector in 1982–1985, and Piotr Węgleński held this role in 1999–2005. Vice-rectors included Tadeusz Jaczewski, Zygmunt Kraczkiewicz, Kazimierz Dobrowolski, and Piotr Węgleński. Among the Faculty’s professors are members of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN): Jerzy Dzik, Maciej Z. Gliwicz, Andrzej Jerzmanowski, and Piotr Węgleński. Andrzej K. Tarkowski was a full member of PAN and the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU), as well as a foreign member of the French and American Academies of Sciences, Academia Europaea. Since 1998, Stanisław Lewak has been a member of the French Academy of Agriculture. Janusz Faliński was a member of the Italian Academy of Forest Sciences and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Camerino in Italy in 1995.
In 1989, Władysław Kunicki-Goldfinger was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wrocław; in 2000, Andrzej K. Tarkowski from the Jagiellonian University, and in 2005 from Medical University of Lodz; in 2001, Janusz Gill from the Agricultural Academy in Szczecin; in 2002, Piotr Węgleński from the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, and in 2005 from the Catholic University of Santa María in Arequipa (Peru), the University of Montenegro in Podgorica, and Sofia University (Bulgaria).
Maciej Z. Gliwicz received the Foundation for Polish Science Prize—the most prestigious scientific award in Poland—in 2001. He also received the Naumann-Thienemann Medal from the International Society of Limnology (SIL) and the Otto Kinne Foundation’s “Excellence in Ecology” award. Andrzej K. Tarkowski was a laureate of the Japan Prize (2002) for pioneering research on mammalian embryonic development and the Foundation for Polish Science Prize (2013).
Władysław Kunicki-Goldfinger participated in the 1989 Round Table negotiations in the teams on science and education, while Anna Kalinowska served in the environmental protection team. Ewa Symonides was for many years the vice-chair and chair of the State Council for Nature Conservation and held the position of Chief Nature Conservator—a post also held by Kazimierz Dobrowolski.