The article aims to present the activities of Ludomir Sawicki (1884–1928), professor of Geography at the Jagiellonian University, with particular emphasis on his contribution to the organization of Polish science in this field. Ludomir Sawicki was born and raised in Vienna, but after graduating and defending his doctorate, he came to Krakow and started working as a junior high school teacher. Later – after obtaining his habilitation – he was a lecturer and professor at the Jagiellonian University, where he started organizing the Institute of Geography. He corresponded with Eugeniusz Romer regarding the publication of the Geographical and Statistical Atlas of Poland (Geograficzno-statystyczny atlas Polski). He actively participated in the works of many significant Polish organizations, including the collaboration with the Polish Country Lovers’ Society (PTK) in Warsaw, and was one of the founders of the Polish Geographical Society. He participated in geographic congresses in Geneva (1908), London (1911), Rome (1913) and Cairo (1925), and he organized the Second Congress of Slavic Geographers and Ethnographers, which took place in Krakow in 1927. He was also involved in expeditionary endeavors. He founded the Orbis printing house in Krakow, which published not only recognized works in the field of geography but also teaching aids for schools. His extensive activity influenced generations of students, including Wiktor Ormicki and Antoni Wrzosek.

Every so often we witness a return of a hitherto unresolved topic about the hydraulic engineering works conducted by the Teutonic Knights in the vicinity of Lidzbark. There are several opinions concerning the location of and reasons for their endeavor. There is original documentation in Latin from the mid-14th century with a reference to the approximate location of the works. Subsequent information on this subject appeared at the end of the 19th century. On the basis of contemporary geological studies, the author tries to refute the thesis that the Teutonic Knights dug a trench from Cibórz to Lidzbark, thus connecting two rivers called Wel and Wkra.

The presumed 14th-century construction is a watercourse from the Wel River in Bełk (below Cibórz) to Turza Mała and the Płośniczanka River. The Wel river was called Vcra (1260); Wykara (1303), Welle (1600), or Wkra (1945), while on the Henneberger map from 1600, the Płośniczanka river was called Wellefluss, and the changes in its course are most visible in the vicinity of the Koty village. Presumably there was a translation error: the Teutonic Knights made a ditch in the vicinity of Cibórz and released water to Lidzbark, which was interpreted as: ‘The Teutonic Knights made a ditch from Cibórz to Lidzbark’.

Contemporary geological studies and maps exclude the possibility of connecting the Wel and Wkra rivers in the Middle Ages, while in the Holocene, there was a natural connection, the trace of which is the old riverbed called Martwica. The article describes the present physical state of the area in the Lubawa region.

This article characterizes the biography and endeavors of Roman Pollak (1886–1972) – an outstanding Polish literary scholar who also contributed greatly to the development of Polish-Italian scientific and cultural relations in the 20th century. His interest in Italian culture manifested itself at an early age, and he later expressed it in his scientific work. During the interwar period, he was a professor of Polish Language and Literature at the University of Rome and a delegate of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education to Italy. During his service, he contributed to the revival of the existing polonophile circles and institutions in Italy, as well as the creation of many new ones, which also operated after World War II. The year 2022 marks the 50th death anniversary of Pollak.

The article aims to present the multifaceted activity of Józef Żurowski (1892–1936), an archaeologist and conservator of prehistoric artefacts in Małopolska. The study relies on extensive archival material and Żurowski’s numerous publications. In the years 1920–1936, he was the conservator of the Krakow region and later the West Małopolska region, acting successively on behalf of the State Group of Prehistoric Monuments Conservators and the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw. Żurowski’s most outstanding achievements include carrying out the first excavations in the banded flint mine in Krzemionki, conducting research on multicultural sites in Złota, supervising the digging of the monumental Krakus Mound, discovering and interpreting the first burials of the Bell Beaker culture in Poland, as well as examining many early medieval cemeteries. As a conservator, he not only inventoried and excavated many archaeological sites – such as numerous strongholds, barrows, and the caves of the Ojców Jura – but also ensured their protection and preservation. Józef Żurowski died prematurely at 45, yet he is one of the most distinguished Polish archaeologists of the Second Polish Republic.

In 2021, the members of the History of Natural and Medical Sciences Research Unit pursued a variety of topics, but most research activities were inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and the history of museology of nature and technology. Our activities were fostered by international cooperation which facilitated access to foreign archives. The first step to joint action is creating the virtual cabinet within a proposed digital project titled The Lost Collection: The Cabinet of Natural History of Duchess Anna Jabłonowska in Podlasie (1728–1800).

The article presents the achievements of the members of the Old and Rare Book Studies Research Unit in 2021. These comprise not only the tasks completed within the NPRH-funded project titled Inventory of national heritage in the field of medieval manuscripts, such as scientific queries or creating a database, but also scientific publications (monographs and scientific articles) as well as scientific and popularizing presentations at conferences, webinars, etc.

The article discusses the activities and the most significant achievements of the Science Studies Research Unit at the Institute for the History of Science PAS in 2021. The article focuses on the specificity of the Unit, which proposes both theoretical reflection and practical solutions in the broadly understood field of Science-of-Science and Science and Technology Studies.

The article presents the research areas and the scientific, popularization, and organizational achievements of the members of the History of Education and Anthropology of Culture Research Unit in 2021. Their research spans from the mid-18th century to almost modern times and focuses on the relations between numerous forms of education and the intellectual and cultural level of various social groups in particular historical periods. The intention of the Unit members is also to combine the history of education with the history of science (broadly understood) and thus to study the impact of scientific achievements, mainly in the field of humanities and social sciences, on the extent of social knowledge and social need for access to culture.

The article presents the main scope of research, scientific achievements, and the popularization and organizational accomplishments of the members of the History of Humanist and Social Thought Research Unit in 2021. The research interests of the employees cover a wide variety of topics, including institutional conditions for the development of Polish science in the 20th century, intellectual movements and currents, and the history of historiography – all of which fall within the scope of the history of ideas and ways of practising social sciences and humanities.