Eugene Romer

Eugeniusz Romer against the background of his map foto: NAC; polona.pl


71 years ago, on January 28, 1954, Eugeniusz Romer, the father of Polish cartography, a prominent geographer, an expert of Polish diplomacy who took part as an expert in peace conferences in Paris and Riga, died.

How a Geographer Became a Blacksmith

Undoubtedly, the most crucial work in the hundreds of items of this researcher's work is the "Geographical-statistical atlas of Poland", which was published in 1916. It is worth mentioning that the improvement of a publication in the era of planet War I, erstwhile the destiny of the question of Poland's rebirth weighed, was not only scientific, but besides political.

– Atlas was created on the emigration of his father in Vienna – recalled Edmund Romer, boy of Eugeniusz Romer in Elizabeth Kollat's broadcast "Portraits of Poles". – The initiator of the atlas was Dr. Franciszek Stefczyk. In early 1915, he came to us, to Vienna, I personally opened the door for him. After he left, his father was at the highest level emotional. He walked around the area and monologued. "Now I know what to do."


Stefczyk informed Romer that after the end of the war there had to be a peace conference at which the decision on the borders of Poland will be made. Meanwhile, the planet knew about Poland as much as the invaders told it. There were actually no publications written from the Polish perspective. A prominent geographer was to become a blacksmith, to whom he came to forge substantive weapons for Polish diplomats in Paris.
Expert of Polish diplomats

Atlas was ready in just a year and was a three-language encyclopedia on Poland. Of course Romer wasn't acting alone. The geographer gathered an efficient squad of linguists, naturalists and historians.

The 32 pages containing 70 maps of the atlas were the basic origin of cognition about Poland for abroad diplomats at the Paris Peace Conference. Romer himself was present at the conference as an expert of the Polish delegation.

Romer had a akin function during conference in Riga, where the border was determined after the Polish-Bolshevik War. The fact that Romer went to talks in the capital of Latvia as a typical of the Ministry of abroad Affairs, but the journey and maintenance paid off from a private pocket, shows, on the 1 hand, the patriotism of the scholar, on the another hand, the fragile forces of the Polish state. It is no wonder that during this conference Romer made cautious demands (a border based on Bug, including Grodn and Lviv). His opinion did not appeal to the another members of the delegation, the drunken triumph of Poland in the Warsaw Battle.



Author of Polish School of Cartography

When the war dust subsided, Romer could return to teaching practice. He settled in his hometown of Lviv, where he taught at the university.

- I'm sorry. He was a man of large enthusiasm and temperament. The tiny height, with clear eyes, spoke well. His lectures were absolutely phenomenal, especially since he never utilized notes," recalled prof. Alfred Jan, a student of prof. Romer.

– He was besides very delicate to social issues. It was so in constant conflict with the authorities. In this respect, he can be called a large patriot. He was the last geographer of the 19th century pedigree. He has mastered all areas of geography.

Romer included field expeditions in the program. The certainty that geographical issues were best studied in the field, he acquired during his pre-war trips, during which he explored both the east of Russia and the fjords of Canada.


He was besides a precursor to native cartographic publishing. In 1921, he founded the Atlas Cartographic Institute, which in 1924 became the United Kartographic and Publishing Works of Ksiażnica–Atlas.
War Epopeja

When Lviv was occupied by the Soviets in 1939, Polish scientists were repressed by the NKVD (scientists were among the victims of Katyn crime). Romer managed to avoid arrest, but he could no longer teach. After the Germans entered Lviv in 1941, Romer hid in the monastery of the Resurrection Fathers at Piekarska Street. It saved his life. He did not divide the destiny of 22 professors whom Einsatzgruppe C shot.

The fact that, after the prof. was transported to Warsaw, the transfer of a student in London was considered, where he was to support the emigration Government of London with his authority. However, doctors who had a 70 - year - old student under their care did not agree to an exhausting journey.

Romer witnessed the Warsaw Uprising. He was interned with the civilian population in a camp in Pruszków. He most likely survived only due to his niece, Annie Romer-Pannenko, who served in the sanitary service in the camp.


After the war, he settled in Kraków, where he took over the Geography Cathedral at the Jagiellonian University and the management of the Krakow Geographical Institute. In turn, in Wrocław, where most of the surviving staff of the University of Lviv moved after the war, Romer reactivated the "Book of Atlas" cartographic publishing house.

- I'm sorry. Here were the closest students of Romer, Julian Czyżewski. His boy Witold Romer besides lived here – emphasized prof. Alfred Jahn.

The student died on 28 January 1854 in Krakow, surrounded by the worship of the creator of modern Polish cartography.









== sync, corrected by elderman ==