Gdańsk University of Technology

Foundation and German Empire (1899–1918)

On 16 March 1899, following a decision by Wilhelm II, deputies of the Kingdom of Prussia approved the establishment of a technical university in Gdańsk, then part of the German Empire. Albert Carsten [pl] was appointed chief designer of the university. Construction began in 1900 and was completed four years later. The buildings were designed in the Northern Renaissance style with Art Nouveau elements.^[2]

The university was formally opened on 6 October 1904 as the Royal Institute of Technology in Gdańsk (German: Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig). It enrolled 189 students in its first year. By 1914, the number of regular students had increased to 675. The university remained open during World War I.^[2]

Free City of Danzig (1918–1933)

After World War I, Gdańsk became part of the Free City of Danzig and in 1918 the university was renamed the Technical University of the Free City of Danzig (German: Technische Hochschule der Freien Stadt Danzig). Under an agreement with the Second Polish Republic, the Free City authorities introduced a Polish-language course and lectures on Polish economic geography. Polish students were provided with the necessary textbooks and teaching materials. Foreign students, with the exception of Poles, were required to present a passport.^[2]

Student numbers increased during the period. The university had 1,651 students in the winter semester of 1922, 1,630 in 1929 and 1,548 in 1933. German students formed the majority, while Polish students constituted a significant minority. The student body also included Ukrainians, Russians, Bulgarians, Yugoslavs, Estonians and Jews.^[2]

German Nazi takeover (1933–1939)

The Nazis' seizure of power in the Free City of Danzig in 1933 led to the forced retirement of older professors and the dismissal or suspension of Jewish students. Most student organisations were dissolved and replaced by the compulsory National Socialist German Students' League.^[2] In 1934, Ernst Pohlhausen [pl], a member of the NSDAP, became rector. By 1939, Pohlhausen had dismissed all Polish and Jewish students and staff.^[15]

World War II (1939–1945)

At the outbreak of World War II, Gdańsk was annexed by Nazi Germany. In 1941, the university was placed under the control of the Berlin authorities and additional regulations were introduced. The number of students and staff declined during the war. In 1944, the university was converted into a hospital with 3,000 beds. Much of its equipment and documentation was evacuated to Germany.^[2]

Re-establishment and People's Republic of Poland (1945–1989)

In January 1945, after Gdańsk came under Polish administration, preparations began to re-establish the university as a Polish institution. A decree of 24 May 1945 established the university as a Polish state academic institution. The first members of its post-war staff came mainly from universities in Lviv and Warsaw. Teaching began on 22 October 1945 and the official inauguration took place on 9 April 1946. The re-establishment was supervised by Stanisław Turski [pl], a Polish mathematician and former prisoner of German Nazi concentration camps.^[3]

During the 1960s and 1970s, the university expanded its facilities and increased its student population. By the late 1980s, it had several faculties and several thousand students.^[3]

Republic of Poland (1989–now)

The political changes of 1989 brought changes to the organisation and administration of higher education in Poland. Employees, students and graduates of Gdańsk University of Technology were involved in political and social activity during this period. Among them was Andrzej Gwiazda.^[16]

Between 1990 and 2010, the university underwent organisational and infrastructural changes. New laboratories and other facilities were constructed, including facilities associated with the Nanotechnology Centre and the Pomerania Centre of Advanced Technologies. Degree programmes were reorganised into three cycles leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The university also introduced the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and a quality assurance system.^[16]

Chemical Faculty

The Chemical Faculty was one of the four original faculties of the university^[19] and one of five faculties that began operational research and teaching in 1945 as a result of the decree by the Polish government transforming technical universities active in Gdańsk since 1904 into the Polish Gdańsk University of Technology.^[20]

At the faculty, there are projects financed by the State Committee for Scientific Research and the European Commission. The Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring operates within the faculty.^[21] Additionally, there are research programmes financed by the European Commission under the EU’s V and VI framework programmes.^[22]