Prehistory
The
first congress of technicians in Austria-Hungary took place in Vienna in 1880. It was initiated by the Lviv Polytechnic
Society, which addressed the idea to their colleagues in the capital. The
society, founded in 1876, united graduates of the reformed Polytechnic in order
to defend their rights and status in the empire. By that time, full-fledged
technical education had already been introduced and financed by the state, but
obtaining it did not guarantee either employment opportunities or promotion in
one's social status. The region did not have developed industry. Vacancies
in administrative services were limited. As a rule, university graduates were preferred
there. To improve this situation, young Galician technicians submitted a
petition to the Provincial Sejm, which, like several other attempts, was
unsuccessful.
The society
began to establish contacts with the Viennese technical community in order to
promote the case at the imperial level, to submit it to the Reichsrat and to
change the relevant laws. This is why the First Congress of Austrian Engineers
and Architects (named after the Vienna Society) was convened. It took place in
September 1880 and was attended by 15 technical societies from Cisleitania
(i.e., the Austrian part of the empire). The congress was chaired by the then head
of the Vienna Society, famous architect Friedrich Schmidt; Julian Zachariewicz
from Lviv was elected one of his deputies. These efforts led to some changes in
the law: in 1883, the Reichsrat adopted significant changes to the 1859 Imperial
Patent for industry. The implemented changes, however, did not have exactly the
form and result the technicians had hoped for. As further discussions in
technical periodicals show, this was partially due to the fact that the
parliamentarians were mostly representatives of the titular nobility,
landowners, while those with technical education remained scarce. Thus, on the
one hand, the deputies did not understand the specifics of the technical
sphere, while, on the other hand, they restrained its development deliberately,
not desiring to share their privileged social position. Therefore, the issues
raised in 1880 remained on the agenda of subsequent congresses held in Vienna
in 1883 (2nd), in 1891 (3rd), in 1900 (4th), in 1907 (5th) and in 1911 (6th).
At the
initiative of the Lviv Polytechnic Society, in 1881 a similar congress was for the
first time held in Galicia. The main issues discussed were the possible
reorganization of education, especially secondary schools, industrial schools,
polytechnics, as well as developing Polish technical terminology and literature
and outlining the needs of local construction. The participants in the event
were technicians from three parts of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,
divided by the borders of the Russian, Austro-Hungarian and German empires.
This indicated, among other things, the presence of a national-political
component in the event. The congress took place in Krakow (Pamiętnik, 1884). The second and third ones took place in
Lviv (in 1886 and 1894), the fourth one again in Krakow (1899). The main topics
of these congresses remained essentially unchanged and covered everything
related to the social status of technology: education (secondary and higher),
titles (scientific and professional), employment opportunities and government
support for industry.
The Fifth
Congress of Technicians in Lviv was of great symbolic significance. The
organizers and participants perceived it as an important component of the
Polish national cause. Flags of national colors, selection of participants and
invited politicians (representatives of the "Polish Circle"), as well
as the fact that the organizers read written greetings of only Roman Catholic
hierarchs (Archbishop Bilczewski and Bishop Bandurski) at the opening ceremony
are clear evidence. The organizers emphasized that in 1899, at the previous
congress in Krakow, an agreement was reached that the next, fifth congress
would be held in Warsaw. However,these plans were disrupted first by the
revolutionary events of 1905 in the Russian Empire and then by the Russian-Japanese
war. Waiting for the political situation to normalize, the technicians delayed
the event for a few years but eventually moved it to Lviv; again,the year was
chosen not accidentally. 1910 marked the 500th anniversary of the Battle of
Grunwald. The congress was timed to this date.
Since the
time ofthe Polytechnic Societyfounding in 1876 and the first congress held in
Vienna in 1880, the status of technicians in society had changed. After ten
years of petitioning, technicians were given the right to vote and be elected
to the Provincial Sejm on the basis of "personal qualifications", i.e.
higher education. In this way, they were able to "dilute" the
environment of legislators, dominated by lawyers and representatives of rich
curiae. Higher technical education developed, and the imperial and regional
authorities, as well as municipal administrations, increasingly supported it
financially. In the "common people's"view, technology ceased to be
considered something inferior or something that contradicted the teachings of
the Christian church. The Polytechnic was slowly catching up with the
University. From 1901, its rector entered the Provincial Sejm automatically (thus
becoming a so-called "virilist"). At the same time, the institution’s
scientific status was recognized: the title of "Doctor of Technical
Sciences" was introduced, as well as the opportunity to defend thesesthere
(and not only at the philosophical faculties of universities).
The
direct organizer of the Fifth Congress was a delegation elected at the previous
Fourth Congress in Krakow (pol. Stała delegacya IV-go Zjazdu). It was
headed by Professor Jan Nepomucen Franke, the committee including a number of
professors from the Polytechnic and heads of industrial enterprises.
The Course
of the Events
The
congress started on Thursday, September 8, with an informal evening
"friendly meeting" at the Literary and Artistic Circle in the City Casino
building. Newspapers reported the participation of several dozen to 200
people.
The
official part was held on the following day, Friday, September 9, in the main building of the Polytechnic. The
entrance to the territory was decorated with a triumphal arch. The building's attic
was adorned with "standards in national colors" (white and red), and
the spacious staircase was decorated with greenery, flowers and draperies. The
meetings were held in the assembly hall, where a presidium table was placed
next to the portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph (which was also decorated with
greenery on the occasion); tables for the press were set up on the sides.
At
9:30 a.m. the hall was already "tightly filled" with participants who
had special badges in the boutonnieres of their frock coats. The organizers
were seated at the presidium table. Welcoming speeches were made by Jan
Nepomucen Franke, a court counselor, professor and former rector of the
Polytechnic; professor Leon Syroczyński, on behalf of the organizing committee; Stanisław Badeni, provincial
Marshal; Bronisław Pawlewski, the then rector; and Kazimierz Obrębowicz, a representative of the Warsaw Technical
Society. The program was announced, the congress was divided into 10 sections
and the relevant secretaries were elected for each of them, as well as the
honorary chairman of the congress, Obrębowicz.
Further,
instead of the postponed unveiling of the monument to Julian Zachariewicz in
the vestibule of the Polytechnic, three exhibitions were opened: student works
on the third floor (annual since 1878) andthat of technicians, consisting
ofdesigns produced by individual engineers or companies, on the second floor.
On the ground floor and in the courtyard, perhaps, the greatest pride of the Fifth
Congress was located –an aviation exhibition. After a joint photo on the stairs
of the Polytechnic, the participants went to sectional meetingsin the
afternoon.
At 7:30
p.m., those interested visited the Great City Theater.
According to the press, it was a production of Franz Lecher's operetta
"Gypsy Love." After that, the participants continued the evening in
the restaurant of the hotel "Georges".
Section
meetings went on on Saturday, September
10. At 11:30 a.m. the opening of the "First General Polish Exhibition
of Architecture, Sculpture and Painting" took place. The architectural
part was prepared by a committee in which the Circle of Polish Architects in
Lviv (a section of the Polytechnic Society), founded in 1908, played a
significant role. The exhibition was prepared hoping for Galicia's participation
in the 1911 World's Fair in Rome. Exhibiting works by contemporaries from three
parts of divided Poland, including Ukrainians and Jews, it sought to
demonstrate unity in the diversity of the Polish national project. Special
attention was paid to the late professors Julian Zachariewicz, Teodor Talowski
and Antoni Popiel. The exhibition touched upon such topics as the search for a
new modern style in architecture, the issues of the Zakopane construction and
the transfer of folk motifs to urban architecture, documenting monuments
(including Gothic and wooden churches), "city building" (urban
planning). The organizers hoped to involve non-specialists and users of
architecture in the discussions through the exhibition; however, as
co-organizer Witold Minkiewicz noted, it was difficult for the public to
understand the drawings and not the buildings themselves (Minkiewicz, 1910).
The exhibition itself was housed in the Palace of Arts, which had remained in the
Stryiskyi Park
since the time of the General Provincial Exhibition in 1894.
Excursions
to the new power
plant at Persenkówka or to the gas station were
planned for Saturday evening, according to the interests of those participating
in the specialized sections.
On Sunday morning, September 11, overall results were summed up and the official part
of the event in the Polytechnic building was closed. After that, a monument to Julian
Zachariewicz was unveiled in the vestibule at the ground floor, a bust by
Juliusz Beltowski. Professor Roman Dzieślewski, the cause initiator, began the ceremony with a
speech. After him, the rector Pawlewski took the floor, and then Stanisław Żeleński, a former student of Julian
Zachariewicz, the owner of a stained glass workshop in Kraków. Zachariewicz's
son, Alfred, a well-known architect at that time, spoke on behalf of the
family. A student surnamed Wolf (probably, Czeslaw by name) spoke on behalf of
the students.
Excursions
around the city were planned in the afternoon. At 7 p.m. a banquet started in
the premises of the Riflemen's
Society. It was attended by 200 to 300 people, "including ladies… mostly
not locals." This detail is emphasized in various sources; obviously,
unlike other cities, the participation of wives in events of this kind was not
a common practice in Lviv. The banquet lasted until late, many toasts were proposed,
funds were raised for a Mining Department of the Polytechnic, as well as for
one Julian Zachariewicz Scholarship.
On Monday, September 12, the congress
participants traveled to Drohobych, where they visited the new refinery (Odbenzyniarnia),
and to Boryslav with its mines. A separate carriagewas provided for this
purpose, the railway giving the congress participants a 40% discount. On
Tuesday and Wednesday, September 13-14, there were separate excursions in
sections to various industrial enterprises, etc.
Topics
Raised
As mentioned
above, the Congress was divided into ten sections. Many reports were highly
specialized, thus reflecting the realities of the time: lately, science began
to develop very rapidly, each branch in its own way, and was now almost
impossible for one person to be an expert in several areas.
Technicians
noted how much the world had changed in the 11 years between the Fourth and Fifth
Congresses (1899 and 1910), in particular how the exact sciences and
technologies had evolved. The issue of land routes they considered resolved.
Instead, for them, the time had come to find appropiate solutions for
waterways, canals and melioration. One of the main themes of the Congress was
the connection of the Danube, Oder, Vistula and Dniester by canals for the
transportation of raw materials, which could become a cheaper alternative to
land (i.e. rail) transport. Polish technicians were eager to see the
implementation of a large-scale and costly project, whose development and
discussion had lasted for years. The report on this project was delivered by
Roman Ingarden (Senior) at the solemn opening of the congress in the presence
of as many participants, politicians and journalists as possible.
Most
of the speakers were from Lviv, and there were also many Krakowians in the
architectural section. The section was headed by a respected architect,
lecturer at the Academy of Arts and publisher, Władysław Ekielski from Kraków.
Gustaw Bisanz from Lviv, then the oldest professor of architecture, was elected
his deputy (in 1910 he was made an emeritus professor, in fact, retired).
According to the official publication of the congress, four reports were read
at the section (data from sources differ); however, the text of none was
published. Wincenty Rawski, an architect and head of the Polytechnic Society,
spoke of the importance of involving architects in "city building"
(as urban planning was called in these early stages). A Struszkiewicz (probably
Jerzy Struszkiewicz) gave a speech on behalf of the students about their vision
of reforming architectural education in Lviv, which he thought was outdated. He
referred to the fact that in the last few years this had been discussed in the Krakow-based
magazine Architekt, edited by Ekielski.
Gustaw Bisanz and Rawski reported on the situation of architects in Austria and
professional legislation. Zygmunt Dobrzański from Lviv spoke about measurements and
documentation of architectural monuments.
The
"general" section was most numerous (115 participants, 31 reports);
it discussed education and organization of polytechnics, secondary schools,
status and position of technicians, industry in general, legislation. In
different sections, a theme of independence from the capital was touched upon,
so that, for example, mining was taught not only in Austria but also in Lviv,
and mining companies near Krakow were serviced by Polish, not Austrian
specialists.
Summary
To a
large extent, the Congress was a celebration as the technicians were honoring
their milieu that had grown despite many difficulties. In addition, they
emphasized the joy felt by colleagues who had the opportunity to meet in a
friendly atmosphere, since the work had scattered many of them in different
cities and countries. The Polytechnic in Lviv was the place where most of them had
been educated and, therefore, the most appropriate meeting place.
The
event had numerous traditional festive attributes, such as a triumphal arch at
the entrance to the Polytechnic, decoration of the building, flags. Festivals
organized by the Polytechnic students' Fraternal Aid Society took place in the Stryiskyi
Park next to the exhibition. Mongolfiers (balloons) were launched there, a beauty
contest and "happiness baskets" were held; although these events were
not part of the official program of the Congress, tickets for them were sold by
the Circle of Polish Architects (Kurjer Lwowski, 1910, No. 416, p. 2).
Considering
work for the benefit of their fellow citizens as their main role, Polish
technicians felt themselves an integral part of the entire world scientific
community that created knowledge and embodied progress. The Fifth Congress
discussed the involvement of the public and the dissemination and application
of this knowledge increasingly outside the actual scientific environment. It
can be concluded that in 1910 the technicians felt quite confident in contrast
to the 1870s, when everything was just beginning. At that time, the administrative
and political autonomy of Galicia was just being introduced, which made it
possible to Polonize the Polytechnic. Along with the specialization of the institution,
which took place in the 1870s, it launched the emergence of the technical
community. In this light, the commemoration of Julian Zachariewicz (who died a
year before the Fourth Congress in Krakow) at the Fifth Congress can be considered.
This architect could rely only on his knowledge; due to the lack of
alternatives, he had to be content with working on the railway first.
Nevertheless, he became the creator of an architectural school, an innovator
and an influential person. Therefore, it is not surprising that for the whole
technical environmenthe became an example to follow. The time came when Polish
technicians felt sufficiently professional specialists who could solve all
engineering and scientific issues. Thus, it was no longer necessary to invite
external, metropolitan experts from Vienna.
