65th anniversary of the death of Prof. Paweł Kułakowski | Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology

Today we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the death of Prof. Paweł Kułakowski - the first Head of the Department of Geodesy at Gdańsk University of Technology (then the Department of Surveying and Geodesy of GUT), the Pioneer Professor of Gdańsk University of Technology, and the first Chairman of the Surveyors' Association of the Republic of Poland.

We warmly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the biography of this important figure in Polish geodesy:

Paweł Kułakowski was born on December 7, 1904, in Pawłowice (municipality of Zalesie, Sokółka County, Białystok Voivodeship). In 1922, he graduated from a municipal mathematical and natural sciences gymnasium in Grodno. After obtaining his maturity certificate in 1924 at a humanistic gymnasium in Chełmża, he enrolled in the Faculty of Hydraulic Engineering at Warsaw University of Technology. In the academic year 1928/29, he transferred to the Faculty of Geodesy of this university.

During his studies, he worked part-time. From 1926, he lectured on surveying at the Vocational School of Construction in Warsaw. In the years 1928-1929, he worked as a technical auditor for the Measurement Department of the City of Warsaw. In 1934, he completed his surveying studies externally at the Surveying High School in Warsaw. After obtaining his diploma as a surveying engineer, he worked as a surveyor for the Bank of National Economy in Warsaw and the Ministry of National Defense. From 1934, he worked professionally in the office of Prof. Stanisław Kluźniak, a sworn surveyor in Warsaw. He developed a new method for reconstructing lost triangulation points, introduced into the curriculum at the Military Geographic Institute, and published in the "Geographical Service News." From August 1934 to August 1, 1944, besides lectures in mathematics, geometry, trigonometry, and surveying at the Construction School, he conducted lectures in arithmetic with geometry, surveying, basic calculations, and accounting for courses for craftsmen at the Scientific-Craftsmanship Institute in Warsaw. Until 1939, he worked, among other things, on the regulation of the Bzura, Utrata, and Pisa rivers, the drainage of lands along the Utrata river, designed the Komorów, Raszyn, and Radzyminek settlements, conducted measurements of the Gdynia port, Nowy Dwór, various transportation and industrial facilities, as well as measurements of high-voltage lines throughout the country. After the outbreak of the war, he did not stop lecturing. He was a teacher at the Scientific-Craftsmanship Institute. As part of secret teaching, he conducted surveying exercises as an assistant to Prof. Edward Warchałowski at the Department of Geodesy of Warsaw University of Technology. He attended the Faculty of Architecture of this university, participating in classes conducted by Prof. Stefan Bryła. During the occupation, he distinguished himself by providing assistance to the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto.

After liberation, he came to Gdańsk as a delegate of the Ministry of Industry to organize vocational education in the Gdańsk voivodeship. In the years 1945-1948, he worked for the Ministry of National Defense, conducting measurements of many secret objects. From October 1, 1945, he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Surveying and Cartography at the Faculty of Civil and Water Engineering of Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT). In 1946, he was appointed associate professor and head of the Department of Surveying and Cartography. On March 16, 1946, as the president of the Surveyors' Association of the Gdańsk Voivodeship, he submitted a memorial to the rector of GUT regarding the establishment of the Faculty of Geodesy at the university. In the years 1946-1953, he also worked as a contractual professor and head of the Department of Geodesy at the Engineering School in Szczecin. From 1947, he was a sworn surveyor in surveying matters for the Appellate Court in the Gdańsk District. When the Agrotechnical Faculty was established at GUT in 1948, he became its dean and, ex officio, the supervisor of a large experimental farm (over 400 hectares) in Sobowidz, run by this faculty. On February 23, 1949, he was appointed associate professor of surveying and cartography at the Faculty of Civil and Water Engineering of GUT. In the years 1949-1952, he lectured on astronomy at the Higher Pedagogical School in Gdańsk and on geodesy at the Evening Engineering School of the NOT. Additionally, from 1949 to 1953, he conducted commissioned lectures on engineering-industrial measurements for the third year of the Faculty of Geodesy at Warsaw University of Technology and a preliminary course. In the years 1955-1957, he organized a two-year course for land surveyors at the Department of Geodesy of GUT, at the request of the Presidium of the Provincial People's Council, and conducted lectures on geodesy and astronomy. During this time, he was also a reviewer for the Central Qualification Commission. As a member of the Geodetic Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, he served as a delegate from the Ministry of Higher Education. On January 1, 1953, he was appointed head of the Department of Surveying and Geodesy at the Faculty of Water Engineering of GUT.

He died on March 4, 1959, in Gdańsk. He was buried at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Source: Golden Book of Gdańsk University of Technology