The subject of the study is the distinctive approaches to the formatting of spatial and temporal structures in historical texts. The main methods for historians belonging to a particular tradition to move through historical space and time in the process of creating discourse are highlighted, affecting a distinctive relationship in the representation of past events and structures, chance and regularity. For the sake of clarity, examples are taken of little-known sites (e.g. the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom of Hellenistic period), for which historians face not only the problem of generalising factual material, but also the problem of incorporating such sites cumulatively, without destroying discourse, into the existing structure of historical knowledge. In line with the opposing approaches developed in both historiographical traditions, the author of this study have outlined and for the first time identified the methods that have been used in these traditions to achieve the objective: the method of frontal approximations (in Soviet historiography) and the ‘historian’s wings’ method (in Western historiography). The study presents examples of applying both methods, identifies their shortcomings and advantages, in accordance with which the specific features inherent in both historiographical traditions are specified, and indicates their significance for an adequate presentation of the historical past.

The development of a distinctive form of scientific journalism, known as museography, started in the second half of the 19th c. within the Ukrainian territories of the Russian Empire. This article aims to explore how financial, industrial, political, sociocultural, and intellectual factors influenced the development of museography in Ukraine in the late 19th and early 20th c. The article describes the impact of political, economic, and sociocultural changes in the Russian Empire during this period, particularly their influence on the evolution of museography as a specialized branch of scientific literature. It is shown how internal reforms led to an expanded assortment of publications about Ukrainian museums and museum collections and the improvement in their material and scientific quality. It was proved that the key factor in the formation of the national museography was the patriotic spirit of the participants of this process. Despite significant subjective and objective obstacles, it is possible to argue that the global outlook of individuals engaged in museographic practices played a fundamental role in the emergence and development of museography on the Ukrainian territories of the Russian Empire.

In the years 1780–1781, Doctor Franz Karl Heintz hesitated about the diagnosis for a long time. Initially he thought he had encountered cases of ‘rotten diseases’. However, taking into account the experience of other European countries, he knew one had to be certain about the diagnosis given, especially when it concerned the most terrible infection. Only after some time he admitted was dealing with the plague. He was still optimistic though. He claimed that herbal medicaments were efficient in many cases. In 1786, already as the quarantine physician of the Right-Bank Ukraine, he sensibly assessed the potential of medicine regarding the plague. Although he based his project on the contemporary medicinal state of the art that went along with the 18th c. ideal of medical knowledge (he was a follower of Hippocrates, i.e. a supporter of humoral pathology), the most important components of the project were police-order in their character, which found a permanent place in the medical thought of that time.

In September 1939, Professor Adam Vetulani participated in the military campaign against Germany with the rank of platoon sergeant. On September 17, he crossed the border into Romania and was subsequently interned. In April 1940, he made his way to France through Yugoslavia and northern Italy. He joined the 2nd Infantry Rifle Division commanded by General Bronisław Prugar-Ketling. After the defeat of France, the entire division, including Vetulani, crossed into neutral Switzerland, where he was interned. He spent five years in the Helvetian country from 1940 to 1945. With the help of the Swiss authorities, he organized high school and university education for the interned soldiers. As a result of his efforts, several hundred Poles received university degrees, and dozens received doctorates. On behalf of the Polish government-in-exile, he also served as a representative of the National Culture Fund, offering modest stipends to academics. His dedication to organizational and scientific activities earned him the recognition and respect of his superiors.

Biographies of architects have a well-established tradition in the Polish historiography of architecture. This also applies to the historiography of Polish architecture at the turn of the 19th c., which predominantly revolves around biographical studies. However, architectural biographies of this period often concentrate on the architects active in big cities, while their colleagues working in provincial areas receive comparatively less research attention. The lack of in-depth exploration of this subject has a detrimental impact on our comprehensive understanding of the Polish architectural culture of that period, particularly its social aspects. Another notable trait of Polish architectural biographies concerning the turn of the 19th c. is the focus on the architects’ creative output (e.g. projects, buildings). Researchers have hitherto paid relatively less attention to tracing the trajectory of individual careers and specific conditions that shaped their development. The inclusion of these aspects in academic discourse offers valuable insights into the social and political backdrop that influenced architectural activity. This holds particular significance in relation to the era of the constitutional Kingdom of Poland (1815–1830), which witnessed a rapid development of modern bureaucracy in the field of building and architecture. This article delves into the well-documented case of Bonifacy Witkowski. Notably, he was among the first graduates of architecture from the University of Warsaw, and within a few years of his graduation, he attained the position of a chief provincial builder in the Province of Mazovia.

Research on binding wastepaper has a long tradition in Poland, dating back to the 1820s, and the result is the discovery of fragments of many valuable manuscripts and prints. This article is devoted to the discoveries made, among others, by Władysław Nehring, Kazimierz Piekarski and Anna Lewicka-Kamińska, the fruit of which were previously unknown editions of the popular prayer book Hortulus animae, found and preserved only in the fragments they discovered. The most groundbreaking was Nehring’s find, thanks to which eight pages of the first Polish edition of Hortulus were published, but the importance of the remaining ones cannot be overestimated. It is noteworthy that out of eleven (certain and highly probable) editions, dating back to the first half of the 16th c., as many as six are known only thanks to single sheets extracted from their bindings.

The article describes the former power plant complex at the State Powder and Crushing Materials Factory in Zagożdżon (now Pionki), dating back to the mid-1920s. It begins with an introduction outlining the company’s history, followed by a presentation of the history of the power plant and accompanying facilities, with a focus on the evolution of technical equipment and related architectural layers. Subsequently, an analysis of the architectural form of the complex is conducted, aiming to determine the historical value of the objects. Finally, the article describes the complex’s current state of preservation, its evaluation, and conservation recommendations.

During the Age of Enlightenment, many Poles pursued medical studies at various European universities. One of them was Jan Dominik Piotr Jaśkiewicz. Born on 6 July 1749 in Lviv to an Armenian family, he moved to Vienna in the late 1760s to study medicine at the university under the supervision of renowned professors: Anton de Haën, Heinrich Johann Nepomuk von Crantz, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, and others. Jaśkiewicz graduated in 1775 with a Doctor of Medicine degree, based on the thesis titled “Dissertatio inauguralis medica sistens pharmaca regni vegetabilis”, in which he provided a list, description, and healing properties of some plant species, arranged according to the systematics of Carl von Linnè (Linnaeus). Through his dissertation, Jaśkiewicz popularized in Poland the views of the Viennese medical school, among others, on the medical use of digitalis. For some time he remained in Vienna, attempting to secure a suitable position. Between 1780 and 1783, Jaśkiewicz expanded his knowledge of nature through travels to Italy, Germany, and France. After presenting his mineralogical observations in Paris, Jaśkiewicz was appointed as a correspondent member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. It was during this time in Paris that Jaśkiewicz met Jan Śniadecki, who later became his friend, colleague, and patient. Subsequently, Hugo Kołłątaj appointed Jaśkiewicz as a professor of natural history and chemistry at the Crown’s Main School in Kraków (Jagiellonian University). He began his lectures in Kraków on 1 October 1783. It should be emphasized that Jaśkiewicz laid the foundations for Polish scientific vocabulary. He also played a crucial role in establishing a chemical laboratory and organizing a botanical garden and a cabinet of natural history. In February 1783, Jaśkiewicz took on the position of a hospital physician (director) at the St. Barbara Academic Hospital, where he focused on organizing the hospital’s finances and management. Around the same time, he declined additional remuneration for this role. In 1787, Jaśkiewicz assumed the duties of the house physician for the Wielopolski margrave in Pińczów. Jaśkiewicz died in Kraków on 14 November 1809. Throughout his life, he was an active physician and performed his medical career independently of other duties. Jaśkiewicz gained considerable recognition and popularity for his achievements in the medical field.

Japonia późnych lat okresu Meiji oczyma Bronisława Piłsudskiego, wybór, tłum., adaptacja, przyp. i kom. Alfred F. Majewicz, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika,Toruń 2020, (Japonika Toruniensia, t. 4) ss. 553

Bronisław Piłsudski, Dziennik 1882–1886, wprowadzenie, posłowie Witold Kowalski, ARKANA, Kraków 2021, ss. 841

While in political exile in the Russian Far East (Sakhalin, Vladivostok), Bronisław Piłsudski (1866–1918) conducted significant research, documenting the culture of the local aboriginal people, with a particular focus on the Sakhalin Ainu. Using wax rollers, he recorded valuable insights and observations about their way of life. These recordings, preserved in Poland and read in Japan, played a pivotal role in sparking international interest and studies on the work of this pioneering ethnographer. Recent years have borne fruit in the form of a biographical monograph by Kazuhiko Sawada (Japanese edition in 2019, Polish edition in 2022) and an anthology of journalistic articles discussing social relations in Japan, initially printed in Russia since 1906 and later in Galicia and the Kingdom of Poland (since 1907). An English volume prepared by Alfred F. Majewicz will be published in The Collected Works of Bronisław Piłsudski. Furthermore, the published Diary of Piłsudski’s school years is included in the discussion.

In 2022, the History of Natural and Medical Sciences Research Unit comprised nine employees who engaged in various collaborative activities. They embarked on a series of projects, including the creation of a virtual museum called ‘The Lost Collection: Cabinet of Natural History of Duchess Anna Jabłonowska (1728–1800) in Podlasie’, organizing the International Conference on Medicinal Plants in Science and Culture (supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science – Perfect Science), conducting monthly seminars on the History of Natural and Medical Sciences, and holding doctoral seminars within the series ‘Polish Medical Press and Official Archives as Historical Sources in Research on Health and Disease in the 19th and 20th Centuries’. Individually, team members had significant achievements, which have been documented in numerous publications. Additionally, their valuable contribution extended to active involvement in the editorial offices of the Institute’s journals published by the Institute.

The article presents the achievements of the Old and Rare Book Studies Research Unit in 2022 in the scope of documentation, scientific, and popularization activities. The research conducted by the Unit members primarily focused on the Manuscripta.pl project, which led to new and significant discoveries concerning medieval manuscripts, the history of book collections and individual codices. In addition to the work related to the implementation of the NPRH project, team members also participated in other scientific projects and carried out individual research activities, resulting in the publication of scientific articles and presentations at academic conferences. Significant efforts were also made in the area of science popularization.

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 2022.

The article presents the research areas and scientific achievements of the members of the History of Technology Research Unit in 2022. Their research covered a diverse range of topics within the history of science, technology, and economic history, spanning from the 17th to the 20th c. Some of these issues were analyzed from environmental and sociological perspectives. The investigated topics included the history of railroad transportation and inland navigation, the environmental history of Polesie, economic activity in the Old Polish Industrial District, the history of cinematography, and the presentation of achievements of noteworthy scientists and inventors. Additionally, the Unit actively engaged in initiatives to support the preservation of technical cultural heritage, creating a substantial foundation that facilitated the legal protection of objects of historical value. Through its multidirectional scope, the research highlights the importance of studying the history of technology and economic developments in shaping our understanding of global history.

The article presents the research areas, scientific achievements, popularization efforts, and organizational accomplishments of the members of the Research Unit in 2022. The conducted research covered the period from the mid-18th c. to almost modern times, with the majority of the Unit members focusing on research related to the 20th c.

The article showcases the primary research directions, scientific engagement, and popularization and organizational accomplishments of the Research Unit’s employees in 2022. The staff members are actively involved in four core areas of historical research. These include the advancement of Polish science in the 20th c., the exploration of the history of historiography from a comprehensive socio-political perspective, biographies of historians, and investigations into intellectual trends. Simultaneously, they address the international influences on scientific and intellectual exchanges