The past and the present

The tradition of Warsaw University of Technology (the largest and oldest technical university in Poland) dates back to the beginnings of the 19th century. 1826, when the Preparatory School for technical studies was opened, is regarded as the date of the beginning of technical education in Warsaw. The establishment of the school was initiated by Stanisław Staszic, who worked in the Committee for Religious Beliefs and Public Enlightenment. He was a versatile scientist and education activist and he was also the author of the study programme. Unfortunately, after only a few years of functioning, the school was closed in 1831, as part of repressions after the outbreak of the November Uprising.

For the next 60 years, despite intensive development of the industry and transport infrastructure on Polish lands, it was not possible to educate technical specialists in Poland. They had to be recruited mainly among foreigners, Poles who graduated from foreign universities and military engineers.

Only at the end of the 19th century did Tsar Nicolas 2 succumb to the request of the Polish society and agreed to spend the collected amount of one million roubles on erecting the Polytechnic Institute of his name in Warsaw. In this way, a university was established, where in autumn 1898 classes were started in Russian as the language of instruction at three faculties of: Mechanics, Chemistry, and Engineering and Construction. One year later, the construction of the first buildings for the school was started. The then erected complex included the Main Building, the Building of Chemistry, the Building of Physics and the Building of Mechanics. Since Russian was the language of instruction, the school was partly boycotted by the Polish youth, who often decided to study at German, French or Russian universities. The demand to introduce Polish as the language of instruction was one of the demands during strikes in the Kingdom of Poland in 1905. This resulted in closing the Polytechnic Institute for the next four years.

The outbreak of the First World War brought the possibility of teaching in the native language. After Warsaw was taken over by Germans, they agreed to open a Polish University of Technology, which took place in November 1915. Degree programmes were offered at four faculties of: Architecture, Machine Design and Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, and Civil and Agricultural Engineering. The first rector was professor Zygmunt Straszewicz.

Since that time, Warsaw University of Technology has been functioning without interruption until today. Despite two world wars, German occupation and delegalisation of the university, it has been functioning uninterruptedly, developed new fields of study and taught more and more students. In the last academic year before the Second World War (1938/1939) there were slightly more than 5000 students, today there are over 30000 of them. The university also offers a richer choice of forms and levels of education. The teaching and technical staff of Warsaw University of Technology counts today over 5000 people and academic teachers constitute almost half of them.

Special attention should be paid to the functioning of the University during the Second World War and just after that period. Lecture rooms, laboratories, technical equipment and book collections were destroyed. Hundreds of students and academic teachers died. The University, closed by the Germans, worked underground and offered research (often for the needs of the Polish Underground State), and education for students - under the name of the State Higher Technical School. During the occupation time 20 doctoral conferment procedures and 14 habilitations were finalised. During the Warsaw Rising, Warsaw University of Technology shared the fate of its city. After tough fights, on 19 August 1944 its defenders, soldiers of the 3rd Armoured Battalion ”Golski” of the Home Army, left the buildings, which had been destroyed by “goliaths”. Then the Germans took them over and finished the process of destruction.

The post-war period is mainly the time of reconstruction and development of the premises and laboratories of the school. In order to satisfy great demand of the Polish economy for qualified engineers as quickly as possible, tuition was started at many faculties. By the end of 1945, all pre-war faculties had been reopened and in the next years, new ones were established. A few years after the war, the H. Wawelberg and S. Rotwand School of Engineering was joined with Warsaw University of Technology. On this basis, the group of mechanical faculties was developed. In 1967, Warsaw University of Technology opened a teaching and research unit in Płock. At present, this is the School of Technical and Social Sciences of Warsaw University of Technology in Płock. Since 1991, the Business School of Warsaw University of Technology has been functioning.

History has shown that apart from playing its basic roles of educating students and doing research, the University community is an important intellectual centre in the country. Outstanding professors have also played vital state roles and hundreds of students showed their patriotism on the fronts of the war in 1920 and during both world wars. The Main Building also witnessed important political manifestations and social movements. Many plaques and other memorials at the University premises remind us of its beautiful history.

If you ask the question what distinguishes Warsaw University of Technology among other technical universities in Poland, these factors should be listed as the most important ones:

  • a wide range of areas of study, covering almost all technical disciplines,
  • high quality of academic staff,
  • rich laboratory equipment and library and IT infrastructure,
  • prestige of the University in Europe and in the world,
  • the greatest number (in Poland) of international students taught in technical fields of study,
  • a wide offer of fields of study in English as the language of instruction,
  • implemented Internal Education Quality Assurance System of Warsaw University of Technology,
  • education programmes developed in cooperation with external stakeholders – representatives of employers.

In the Perspektywy and Rzeczpospolita rankings, Warsaw University of Technology has been taking leading positions as a university whose graduates enjoy the greatest prestige among employers; 10% of presidents of the largest companies in Poland are Warsaw University of Technology graduates.

Warsaw University of Technology has the largest teaching and research potential in technical areas in Poland. Here, the greatest number of scientific publications, important in Poland and abroad, are created. The position of Warsaw University of Technology is also proved by numerous cooperation agreements with other universities, staff and student exchange programmes and joint research projects.

No other Polish technical university has such a wide range of fields of study, specialisations and diploma specialisations, which allows to satisfy individual interests of young people and meet the requirements of the market. This can be done thanks to the University premises and equipment. Warsaw University of Technology has many buildings grouped in two campuses in the centre of Warsaw. They offer the possibility to organise and teach classes in good conditions. Laboratories with cutting-edge equipment are above the average national level. An extensive library system and IT system make studying and research easier.

Organisation of degree programmes, including the credit point system of monitoring progress, in line with international standards, makes it easier to complete part of the study programme abroad. The benefits of doing that are immense for students and close integration with the European Union opens up new possibilities in this area. Last but not least, one should not forget about a wide cultural and entertainment offer of the University for its students. They have clubs, artistic groups, social, tourist and sports organizations. Also, easy access to cultural institutions in the capital of Poland and events organised by other Warsaw universities help satisfy versatile interests of young people.