Mariusz W. Majewski

The article is a response to the polemical commentary by Paweł E. Tomaszewski, PhD, published in the current volume of the journal Studia Historiae Scientiarum 18 (2019), regarding the author’s earlier article on the work of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metal Science at the Warsaw University of Technology with the addenda to the biography of Jan Czochralski, published in the previous volume of the journal.

It is well known that any attempt to compile the history of any issue requires critical approach to historical sources and that acquiring information collected in archival sources, the press and memoirs requires from the researcher a diligent and thorough comparative work. However, the problem arises when an author of a future publication has only few sources at his disposal, or even only one, which was the case here.

The article answers the doubts bothering Paweł E. Tomaszewski regarding the financing of the construction and equipment of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy at the Warsaw University of Technology and the origin and work of Jan Czochralski. The issues of the enterprises Zakłady Hohenlohe SA, Wspólnota Interesów and Wspólnota Interesów Górniczo-Hutniczych SA were also discussed.

The author proposes that a systematic team inquiry into both press and archival resources regarding Jan Czochralski should be carried out, and researchers should be allowed access to respective private archives. This will allow for a more research-grounded historical syntheses of Jan Czochralski.

The article discusses the issues of implementation of important achievements in the field of metallurgy (including armored weapons, fortifications and the navy), under the supervision of prof. Jan Czochralski, who played an important role in the development of the armed forces of the Second Polish Republic.