Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section
ul. Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12
80-233 Gdańsk
prac.hist@pg.edu.pl,
basiazch@pg.edu.pl
https://pg.edu.pl/bibliotekapg/sekcjahistoryczna
Opening times:
Mondays – Fridays: 9.30 am – 1.30 pm
Director of the Gdańsk University of Technology Library: Anna Wałek PhD
Head of Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section: Barbara Ząbczyk-Chmielewska MA
Staff: Witold Parteka PhD, Anna Lepacka, PhD, Dariusz Kortas MA

The Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section was established in 1986 as the History Laboratory of the Gdańsk University of Technology by the rector of the university, Prof. Bolesław Mazurkiewicz, and was included in the organizational structure of the Gdańsk University of Technology Library. The main tasks of the section included
acquiring, collecting and maintaining all materials documenting the history and operation of the university as one of the major and oldest research centres in Poland. The establishment of the laboratory originated thanks to the efforts of members of the Polish Students’ Association – former Polish students who had studied at the university in
the years 1904–1939 – supported by Prof. Witold Urbanowicz. The archives, that had been stored by the association for more than 20 years, were transferred to the laboratory’s premises. The materials contain a unique set of documents, photographs and memorabilia of Polish student organizations, associations and corporations. The archived
content also reveals insights about the students’ day to day lives. Currently, the Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section houses a number of valuable documents, photographs, materials and collections related to the history and traditions of the university, its establishment and academic activity since 1904, as well as outstanding figures who infiuenced the history of the university. The collection includes archives dating from the period of the establishment and
rebuilding of the Technical University after the Second World War, collected and stored by the members of the Operational Group (Grupa Operacyjna) of the Polish Ministry of Education. The archives contain primary source documents which present the participation of the university’s staff in the rebuilding of Gdańsk and the organization of the Polish shipbuilding industry after 1945. The Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section also houses the archives of student associations and clubs which revived their activities after the Second World War. The archival collections also include the documents of organizations established at the university after 1945, which were part
of student life and culture at the Gdańsk University of Technology, e.g. the BIM-BOM student theatre, the Students’ Radio Agency (Studencka Agencja Radiowa), Student Chronicles (Kronika Studencka) and the Film Discussion Club (Dyskusyjny Klub Filmowy). Apart from documents, photographs, materials related to the history of the Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT) and various memorabilia of Polish student organizations at GUT, the collections of GUT Library Historical Section also holds a separate category of historical items (e.g. recordings of interviews, accounts and reminiscences of former GUT academic staff and students. The collections of the Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section also contains historical scientific instruments and tools, including items which were originally used at the university, period furniture, the gift of Henryk Limon (a member of a famous Gdańsk family of researchers) of nearly 50 architectural drafting tools dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, and many other materials and donations from private sources. This part of the Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section’s collections enables the study of the university’s scientific heritage. Since 2006 a computerized cataloguing system has been used to allow users access to information about the collections which are gradually being digitized. The collections have been displayed in the exhibition spaces (more than 60 in total so far) during a number of cultural events, e.g. the Night of Museums, the Baltic Science Festival. Furthermore, the collections have been the subject of research studies and have been used in various scientic and cultural projects and are presented in publications and other projects. All the exhibits are on display in a permanent exhibition in the reading room of the Gdańsk University of Technology Library – Historical Section – they are a great source of knowledge and information for people who are interested in the
traditions of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the history of science and technology in the Pomeranian region.
Barbara Ząbczyk-Chmielewska MA