From the past of the Archive

The origins of the Archive connect to:

• Kraków Science Society (KSS)

• The Academy of Sciences (AS)

• The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAAS)

• The Archive of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków branch ( ASPAS)

Kraków Science Society, on Walenty Litwiński’s initiative, a lawyer and Cracow Academy’s Rector, was launched in Kraków in 1815, during the annexation time. Being compactly connected to Kraków University, the society’s main purpose to contribute to “build up all possible sciences, spread the enlightenment, propagate the art, industry and artistry among the nation”.

The first KSS’s charter, dated back to 1815 stated, that “the secretary is being entrusted with files, yet the one who also keeps dissertations and works in manuscripts as long as they become posthumous or 10 years pass”. After that time files were supposed to be placed in University’s Library. According to very close connection with the University’s registry office, the correspondence from the very first years of the archive was being placed, together with university documents, in the University’s Archive. Till 1840, the archive kept only distinct protocol books and accounting books. Between 1816-1839, the secretary was Paweł Czajkowski, a poet and literature professor, and he was responsible for taking care of protocols of private and public sessions, which were being recorded in a common book, as well as archive files and accounting books of the Society.

The charter from 1848 pointed, that such things belong to the Archive: “a) manuscripts put by Society members or from other sources, b) documents and works published by the Society; c) protocols from general, committee and branch sittings; d) reports”.

In years 1848-1856, the secretary was Józef Kremer, philosophy professor. At that time, because of the development of the Society structure, besides the main secretary, there were also department secretaries and their deputies in particular branches. They were obliged to make protocols and take care of correspondence. The main secretary was still responsible for taking care of the files and accounting books, as well as the whole archive. The minor secretaries were submitting their protocols, correspondence and manuscripts from previous years.

The charter from 1856 has brought reorganization of the Society, detaching from the Kraków University. It also confirmed the existence of the Archive, and apart from collecting data, it also ordered to assemble “the biographies of Society members”. In 1860, the duty of orderliness was being put to a student – Mieczysław Bochenek.

During that time, the society didn’t own their own premises, wherefore the files and books were being kept in a secretary’s house every-time. A transmission was being prosecuted in the presence of a committee. In 1861 the Society moved to a newly built premises by 17, Sławkowska street. There, next to a library and a museum, the archive has established its place. Since that moment, the secretary was being able to keep the files “under the lock” instantaneously.

In 1872, the Society was transformed into The Academy of Sciences, which was the public institution, working under the Austrian Emperor’s protectorate. As the subject of research of Academy’s member, the first charter set humanities, mathematic, nature and medical sciences, which were realized within departments and boards. It also contained the following: “After approving this charter, all the estates of the Academy will be listed in three copies, out of which the first will be deposed in the Archive of the Academy”. Archive and office’s rules of operating were clarified by the “Internal Installation of the Academy of Sciences” in 1873. The general secretary’s duty was unsealing documents, receiving and dealing with correspondence, however inscribing to correspondence register and transcribing was a chancellery adjuvant’s duty. The general secretary and custodian were in charge of supervision involving files of former Society of Sciences, likewise amassing Academy’s files. The general secretary were in the following order: historian, Józef Szujski, literature historian, Stanisław Tarnowski, lawyer Bolesław Ulanowski. Custodian’s duties were taking care of Academy’s collections, filling in the inventory and keeping cleanliness in the archive. Another paragraph of the “Installation” stated, that Archive, next to the Library, the Museum of Antiquity and The National Collection of Phisiography are part of the Academy’s collections. The Academy’s terms of use from 1885 added to chancellery adjuvant’s duties “taking care of correspondence register, putting files and documents into the archive”. The very same statement was written in the rules from 1893.

Along with regaining the independence by Poland in 1918, Academy, which became the national institution, was renamed into Polish Academy of Art and Sciences. Since then, the Academy’s charter put its purpose as follows: “creative science work in Poland should be supported and eased, one should be encouraged to that work, join and combine that work, direct when needed and if possible reward it”. In an interwar period the development of Academy’s scientific and organisational activity in the country and abroad was proceeded. The internal structure was also built up.

The authority over the chancellery and archive was still left to the following general secretaries: lawyers Stanisław Wróblewski and Stanisław Kutrzeba, orientalist Tadeusz Kowalski and historian Jan Dąbrowski. Within the charter, there were no new record concerning the archive. Beginning with 1922, The Academy’s Chancellery was directed by a director. This function was performed as follows by: Józef Rydel and historian Sylwiusz Mikucki. The actual activity of the Archive was strictly joined to the current registry in 1873-1939. The chancellery was operating on so-called Austrian system. Files were being kept in wardrobes in office rooms of the Academy, by 17 Sławkowska Street, whereas commission’s files and archival data were gathered in its space. An attempt of arranging of all those materials was taken. According to protocols left after the board of directors, in 1934, a deputy of chancellery director – Stanisław Nowogrodzki, arranged all of the administrative files of Academy, as well as Kraków Science Society’s files. He, nevertheless, has never left a list, which could be helpful in understating his method of work.

With the beginning of World War II, The PAAS was trying to protect its collections as good as it could. The most valuable documents were deposed in wooden boxes in a special shelter, in thick-domed basements under the Academy edifice. Yet in January 1940, some of the documents (files of Historical Commission, Historical Atlas Commission, Committee of Medieval Latin Dictionary, Committee of Education History) were transported to the National Archive at Grodzka Street. Furthermore, in Autumn 1940, they were joined with Academy’s registry files from 17, Sławkowska Street. In that case, most of the archive stock was occupied by German administration of National Archives.

When describing the war history of PAAS archive stock, one should mention historian Władysław Semkowicz. Thanks to his efforts and his work, considerable part of archives was saved. After he was released from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, he was employed in 1940 by Erich Randt (the director of Archives Administration) to work at Staatsarchiv des Distriktes Krakau (National Archive of Kraków District), which held the premises at 6, St. Anna Street. It was there, were the Academy’s files were gathered. Semkowicz’s main work was to arrange family files and PAAS archival collection. He wrote about his work: “the PAAS archive was mostly saved by myself, prior to being extinct, it was arranged and registered, provided that the most important files and books, namely the General Meetings protocols and Academy’s Management protocols I kept in hidden at my place”.

In the mid of January 1944, in order to protect all of the Kraków archives, Randt ordered the evacuation of all important files from Kraków, having appointed a castle Johanisberg in Sudety Mountains as the storage place. However, after negotiations with Kraków archivists, he decided to move files to the monastery in Tyniec. After the space for storage was adopted between March and July 1944, circa 1500 parchment documents and more than 10 000 manuscripts were carted to the monastery.

After the war, PAAS archival collections were brought back to the edifice at 17, Sławkowska Street, nevertheless, the lack of appropriate premises condition did not allow to adequately store and arrange the collection. Preparations to the 75^th anniversary of Academy in 1948 began the process of using PAAS archival materials to scientific purposes; while till that day it was only a makeshift. In 1949 the PAAS library received three additional storage rooms. In one of them, right next to the special collections, a part of PAAS archive was placed. Jadwiga Łempicka and Feliks Szpunar were responsible for archival works at that time, mainly they were dealing with inquiries and sharing files.

In a breakthrough of 1949/1959, the archive has been distincted as an individual organizational structure. At that time Danuta Rederowa has begun working in an archive, who was a graduate student of history at Jagiellonian University, and an apprentice of Jan Dąbrowski (the general secretary of PAAS). She was granted the position of a principal over the archive in 1951. Together with the library it was subjected to the Library Counsel, with the general secretary of PAAS as the chairman. Amongst archive’s duties were gathering archive materials, and a work over the history of PAAs and scientific life of Kraków in XIX century.

Meanwhile, there were fast changes of conception within an organization of science in Poland, which effected in bringing to life the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS). The fate of PAAS was overdone. Due to the political issues at the moment of compulsory suspension of its activity (the resolution of The General Assembly PAAS in 1951), the archive itself became the place, where files of all liquidated structures of Academia were being held and deposed. When Jan Dąbrowski has undertaken the efforts to create a department of PAS, with a leading role of the Library and the Archive, it did not end as planned and the Archive became the part of a Library (since the 1^st January 1953 it was a PAS library). Since then, it was functioning as the Archive Departament, within the limits of the documentary and bibliographic department of the Library. At that time, the research on the history of Kraków Centre of Science in XIX century were being still conducted. They were led by the science workshop created in 1954, where Danuta Rederowa was a director. The joined cooperation between Archive and Library did not last long, because the Archive of Polish Academy of Sciences was created pursuant to the Decision No 167/53 by Secretary of PAS Scientific Presidium dated to 1^st December 1953. According to this resolution, Archive was supposed to “gather, preserve and prepare to scientific, administrative and publishing purposes, all of the archival materials taken over by PAS, after liquidated institutions, which were connected to PAS”. In the appendix to the resolution, there was presented the whole organizational structure of the new archive, having announced the creation of a new department, among others in Kraków. Soon, preparations to implementation of resolution enrolment were undertaken. The lawyer, Zygmunt Kolankowski, who was the creator of The Archive of PAS in Warszawa, extracted nearly 90 linear metres from the Library of PAS in Mai 1955.

The next chapter of archive history is the time of the Branch of the Archive of Polish Academy of Science in Kraków over the period 1955-2001.

The first stage of Archive activity (1955-1962),under Danuta Rederowa’s management was a bridge between the past and the presence. Works taken at that time, which mainly concerned intercepting files from PAAS and arranging them were connected to previously accepted assumptions.

To already gathered files of Kraków Science Society (1815-1872), Polish Academy of Art and Sciences (1873-1952), Academy of Medical Sciences (1920-1930), 14^th Congress of Medical Doctors and Naturalists in Poznań (1933) and some of the legacies, there were being added files from PAS agencies having been operating since 1953 and Kraków agency (since 1957). Also private archival materials were being added, mainly private archives of scientists and academics. In 1962 the archival holdings increased to amount 107 linear metres, and only two workers were employed.

The very first premises of the Archive was created in one of the storage rooms in the Library at 17, Sławkowska Street. The place was used simultaneously as the storage space, manager office, archivists office and a reading room with a place for only a single person.

After Danuta Rederowa quitted job and Jan Poradzisz(1923-1983), Jan Dąbrowski’s apprentice, became the new director, a new period has begun. That was a time of increased activity of the Archive, especially within collecting academic’s legacies and taking care over accumulating of files. At that time, there were also visitations of archive agencies and some of the science societies. That period also concerned problems with premises – no storage reserve and exiguous staff. In 1972 the light at the end of a tunnel appeared – a new worked has been employed. After management efforts, the archive was temporarily move to 1 Senacka Street, where three-roomed premises existed. Only in 1981 the archive finally found its place at 26, St. Jan Street, in a tenement house reconditioned by PAS and having been bought just before the war by PAAS.

A time between 1989 and 2001 is connected to political breakthrough and some organizational changes within polish science. Among the last part, particular role was played by reactivating Polish Academy of Art and Science on 16^th November 1989. For PAAS, its historical archival stock was crucial, especially when it comes to recreating its own structure and legitimization proprietorship rights. Because the Archive had files from two nation-wide institutions, its previous operational purpose has changed. Without doubt it was important, that a place, where there were already unique collections concerning science institutions from XIX and XX century, should have the right to gather the rest of current documentation. Launching the independent archive, which could process within scientific environment seemed to be inevitable. PAS and PAAS begun long-lasting negotiations in order to create such organization. Crucial for the final shape of the archive were resolutions from 25^th of June 1994 and 23th of June 2001, as well as the Presidium act from 9^th of October 2001.

The change in organization also affected the discussion about problems and shape of the science institution’s archives. The Kraków Archive was a part of that. It took place during archival sessions at 3^rd Public Congress of Polish Archivists in Toruń, 2-3 of September 1997, and the following, that took place in Szczecin, 12-13 of September 2002.

At that time a dynamic increase of the amount of archival collections in Kraków proceeded. Simultaneously, the public interests of the collections has risen. By the end of 2001, the archival stock was around 1073 linear metres. The Archive was led by Henryk Barycz’s apprentice – Rita Majkowaska, and consisted of six workers, cooperating with another two archivists from PAAS. The popularization of collections was connected to exhibitions, that were initiated. Thanks to cooperation and financial support of PAAS, the Archive could begin the cycle of exhibitions devoted to distinguished academics, which were accompanied by science sessions.

The 31^st of March 2002 was the day, when the branch of PAS Archive finished its activity.