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The Soil Sciences and Environment Protection Institute derives from the Soil Department,
established in 1946 at the Agricultural Faculty of Wrocław University and Technical University.
Initially it was situated in Norwid street 25 in the Main Hall of the Higher Agricultural School in
Wrocław which was separated from the University and Technical University in 1951.
The Department was organised and initially directed (1946—1960) by professor Jan Tomaszewski —
an outstanding soil-scientist who had come to Wrocław from Lublin. Some cartographic and soil-scientific
work conceived on a wide scale was accomplished under his direction; it was a description of the Lower
Silesian soils' properties and distribution. The professor Tomaszewski's first co-workers were Jan Rokicki,
Stanisław Kowaliński and Antonina Kurnatowska.
In 1960-1979 the Department
of Soil Science was headed by professor Stanisław Kowaliński, the creator of the Polish
school of soil micromorphology. His scientific and organisational activity resulted in the
development of modern research methods and specification of the Department's research.
At that time, in the Wrocław centre the research concerning the genesis and systematics,
micromorphology and mineralogy as well as physics and chemistry of soils was developed.
The organisational solutions initiated by the professor contributed to establishing specialised
laboratories: micromorphology of soils, roentgenography and derivatography as well as that
of humus compounds research.
In 1968 student rebellions, which were against the communist system, spread over the Polish
universities. These actions were followed by strong repression taken by the authority.
The restructuring of Polish universities, consisting in melting the departments into big
institutes took place then, too. In 1970 the Department of Soil-Science was incorporated in
a newly-established Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, Soil-Science and Microbiology.
It was placed in a new hall in Grunwaldzka street 53. It was headed by professor Kazimierz
Boratyński (1970—1975) and then professor Leszek Szerszeń (1975—1987).
The Department of Soil-Science was still headed by professor Kowaliński who demonstrated
political independence. He was esteemed abroad so the Department had numerous contacts with
research centres all over the world and the International Soil-Science Association put him in
charge of organising prestigious scientific meetings: the Congress of Micromorphology of Soils
(Wrocław, 1969) and Working Group on Micromorphology of Soils (Zakopane, 1973).
In 1979, after transfering professor Kowaliński to the post of the head of the Institute
of Soil-Science at SGGW in Warsaw, professor Jan Borkowski became the head of the Department
of Soil-Science.
The strong enthusiasm, unleashed in 1980 by the Solidarity movement's actions gave rise to
the process of democratisation of the academy. It led to marginalisation of the role of
Academy's communist party committees and obtaining far-reaching autonomy of the academic circles.
In 1981 professor Kowaliński returned from Warsaw. The Martial Law which was introduced in 1981
can't have restrained the changes initiated in 1980. Soon, institutes were done away with and
in 1982 the Department of Soil-Science was reactivated; it was now headed by professor Bronisław
Giedrojć. The following laboratories were established within its frames:
- Chemistry and Erosion of Soils - headed by Jerzy Drozd, assistant professor
- Meadow Soils and Usage of Mountain Soils - headed by prof. Jan Borkowski,
- Soil Water Management and Agrophysics - headed by prof. Bronisław Giedrojć,
- Soil Mineralogy - headed by doc. Tadeusz Chodak,
- Protection and Reclamation of Soils - headed by prof. Leszek Szerszeń,
- Taxonomy and Morphology of Soils - headed by prof. Stanisław Kowaliński.
In the 80s the Department's scientific activity was concentrated on issues
concerning the anthropogenic factors' impact and environment pollution. It contributed
to renaming (1987) the Department of Soil Science into the Institute of Soil Science and
Agricultural Environment Protection, headed by professor Leszek Szerszeń (1987—1991),
professor Tadeusz Chodak (1991—2006), professor Jerzy Weber (since 2006). In that period the
Institute organised two scientific conferences on a world scale: the 8th International Humic
Substances Society Congress (1996, by professor Jerzy Drozd) and the 15th International Symposia
on Environmental Biogeochemistry (2001, by professor Jerzy Weber).
Since 2006, after renaming the academy, the Institute is an organisational unit within
the Agricultural Faculty of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
In 2007 the Institute was renamed into Institute of Soil Sciences and Environment Protection.
Academic teachers so far:
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| Jan Tomaszewski | (1946—1960) |
| Jan Rokicki | (1946—1955) |
| Stanisław Kowaliński | (1946—1990) |
| Antonina Kurnatowska | (1946—1958) |
| Leonard Langhamer | (1950—1965) |
| Jan Borkowski | (1950—1996) |
| Zbigniew Uzar | (1952—1960) |
| Bronisław Giedrojć | (1954—1992) |
| Wiktor Pul | (1955—1962) |
| Leszek Szerszeń | (1955—1998) |
| Adam Bogda | (1961—2002) |
| Jerzy Drozd | (1961—2008) |
| Tadeusz Chodak | (1962—2008) |
| Tadeusz Stepa | ( 1962—1972) |
| Stanisława Elżbieta Licznar | (since 1964) |
| Anna Kollender-Szych | (1965—1987) |
| Stanisław Laskowski | (1965—1987) |
| Michał Licznar | (since 1965) |
| Ewa Wasiukiewicz | (1972—1975) |
| Stanisława Strączyńska | (1972 - 2016) |
| Jerzy Weber | (since 1973) |
| Adam Wilczyński | (1973—1985) |
| Jarosław Kaszubkiewicz | (since 1981) |
| Adam Bogacz | (since 1988) |
| Anna Karczewska | (since 1989) |
| Andrzej Kocowicz | (since 1989) |
| Cezary Kabała | (since 1993) |
| Bernard Gałka | (since 1994) |
| Elżbieta Jamroz | (since 1994) |
| Katarzyna Szopka | (since 1999) |
| Dorota Kawałko | (since 1999) |
| Zbigniew Perlak | (since 1999) |
| Paweł Jezierski | (since 2002) |
| Przemysław Woźniczka | (since 2003) |
| Beata Łabaz | (since 2004) |
| Magdalena Dębicka | (since 2006) |
| Jakub Bekier | (since 2008) |
| Rafał Tyszka | (since 2008) |
| Agnieszka Medyńska - Juraszek | (since 2011) |
| Irmina Ćwieląg - Piasecka | (since 2011) |
| Jarosław Waroszewski | (since 2012) |
| Tomasz Bińczycki | (2015-2016) |
| Artur Pędziwiatr | (since 2016) |
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The heads
of the Department (Institute)
1946—1960
prof. Jan Tomaszewski
1960—1979
prof. Stanisław Kowaliński
1979—1982
prof. Jan Borkowski
1982—1987
prof. Bronisław Giedrojć
1987—1991
prof. Leszek Szerszeń
1991—2006
prof. Tadeusz Chodak
since 2006
prof. Jerzy Weber
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