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Gdańsk University of Technology

Coordinates: 54°22′17″N 18°37′8″E / 54.37139°N 18.61889°E / 54.37139; 18.61889
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(Redirected from Politechnika Gdanska)

Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk Tech
Politechnika Gdańska
Latin: Polytechnica Gedanensis
Motto
"Historia mądrością – przyszłość wyzwaniem"[1]
Motto in English
"History is wisdom – the future is a challenge"[1]
TypePublic
Established
  • 6 October 1904; 120 years ago[2]
  • 24 May 1945; 79 years ago (re-established)[3]
AccreditationEUA-IEP (European University Association-Institutional Evaluation Programme)
RectorKrzysztof Wilde
Students15,622 (2023)[4]
Undergraduates11,490 (2023)[4]
Postgraduates3,644 (2023)[4]
488 (2023)[4]
Address
Narutowicza 11/12
80–233 Gdańsk Wrzeszcz
,
Gdańsk
,
Pomeranian Voivodeship
,
Poland
Campus80 hectares (200 acres)[5]
AffiliationsCESAER, Erasmus+, EUA
Websitewww.pg.edu.pl
University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWU World[6]Increase 801-900 (2024)
QS World[7]Increase 801-850 (2025)
THE World[8]Steady 1001-1200 (2025)
USNWR Global[9]Increase 1079 (2025)
Regional – Overall
QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia[10]Increase 78 (2022)
QS Europe[11]Increase 302 (2025)
THE Europe[12]Increase 404 (2025)
USNWR Europe[9]Increase 392 (2025)
National – Overall
ARWU National[6]Increase 3 (2024)
QS National[7]Increase 5 (2025)
THE National[8]Increase 5 (2025)
USNWR National[9]Increase 9 (2025)

The Gdańsk University of Technology (Gdańsk Tech, formerly GUT; Polish: Politechnika Gdańska) is a public research university in Gdańsk, Poland.[13] Founded in 1904[2] and re-established in 1945,[3] it is the oldest university of technology in modern-day Poland. It is consistently ranked among the leading universities in the country.[14]

The university comprises eight academic faculties that provide higher education in 40 fields of study across 14 scientific disciplines. Its campus, located in the Wrzeszcz borough of Gdańsk, covers an area of 80 hectares (200 acres).[5] As of 2023, the university had 15,622 students, including 11,490 undergraduates, 3,644 postgraduates and 488 doctoral students.[4]

The Gdańsk University of Technology has an international institutional accreditation, EUA-IEP (European University Association-Institutional Evaluation Programme).

History

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Beginnings under Emperor Wilhelm II (German Empire, 1899–1918)

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On 16 March 1899, following a decision by Wilhelm II, deputies of the Kingdom of Prussia approved the establishment of a technical university in Gdańsk, then part of German Empire. Albert Carsten [pl] was appointed as the chief designer of the university. Construction commenced in 1900 and was completed in four years. The university buildings were designed in the Northern Renaissance style with elements of Art Nouveau.[2]

The ceremonial inauguration took place on 6 October 1904, when the institution was named the Royal Institute of Technology in Gdańsk (German: Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig). In that same year, 189 students enrolled. By 1914, the number of regular students had grown to 675. The university remained operational during World War I.[2]

Interwar Period (Free City of Danzig, 1918–1933)

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After the end of World War I, the university became part of the Free City of Danzig. In 1918, it was renamed the Technical University of the Free City of Danzig (German: Technische Hochschule der Freien Stadt Danzig). In agreement with the newly established Second Polish Republic, Free City authorities introduced a Polish language course and lectures on Polish economic geography, and provided the necessary textbooks and teaching aids to the Polish students. All foreign students, except Poles, were required to present a passport.[2]

This period saw a considerable increase in the number of students: in the winter semester of 1922, their number reached 1,651; by 1929, it was 1,630; and in 1933, it was 1,548. While German students constituted the majority, there was a significant minority of Polish students, along with Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian, Yugoslav, Estonian, and Jewish students.[2]

German Nazi Takeover (Free City of Danzig, 1933–1939)

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The takeover of power in the Free City of Danzig by the Nazis in 1933 resulted in the forced retirement of older professors and the dismissal or suspension of Jewish students. Nearly all student organizations were dissolved and replaced by the obligatory National Socialist German Students' League.[2] In 1934, Ernst Pohlhausen [pl], a member of the NSDAP, was appointed as the rector of the university. By 1939, Pohlhausen had dismissed all Polish and Jewish students and staff.[15]

World War II (Nazi Germany, 1939–1945)

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At the outbreak of World War II, the city of Gdańsk had been annexed into the Nazi Germany. The university was subjected to Berlin authorities in 1941, resulting in the dismissal of the rector and the introduction of stricter regulations. The number of students and staff decreased significantly during the war, and by 1944, the university had been converted into a 3000-bed hospital, with much of its valuable equipment and documents evacuated to Germany.[2]

Post-war and Communist Poland (Polish People's Republic, 1945–1989)

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In January 1945, as Gdańsk became part of Poland, preparations began for the Polish re-establishment of the university. By a decree on 24 May 1945, the university was transformed into a Polish state academic institution, and the first staff, mainly from Lviv and Warsaw universities, began work. Despite difficult conditions, learning commenced on 22 October 1945, with the official inauguration taking place on 9 April 1946. The re-establishment was supervised by Stanisław Turski [pl], a Polish mathematician and former inmate of German Nazi concentration camps.[3]

In the 1960s and 1970s, the university expanded, adding new buildings and increasing its student population. By the late 1980s, the university had grown to include several faculties and thousands of students, continuing its development and contribution to higher education in Poland.[3]

Modern Times (Third Polish Republic, 1989–present)

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The year 1989 marked an end of communism in Poland, with the creation of Solidarity on the Gdańsk coast playing a crucial role. Employees, students and graduates of Gdańsk University of Technology such as Andrzej Gwiazda were actively involved in these transformative events, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Poland as a democratic state with a market economy.[16]

In response to the fall of communism in Poland, the Gdańsk University of Technology underwent significant organizational and infrastructural transformations between 1990 and 2010. Infrastructure expansions included new laboratories and facilities funded by the European Union, such as the Nanotechnology Center, the Pomerania Center of Advanced Technologies, and modern educational spaces, alongside the introduction of three-cycle degree studies (BSc, MSc, PhD), the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), and a quality assurance system.[16]

Location

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The Gdańsk University of Technology (Gdańsk Tech) is located in Gdańsk, situated at the mouth of the Vistula River on the Baltic Sea. The Main Campus is situated in the centre of old Wrzeszcz. The campus is located on Narutowicza Street.

Interior

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The main building, designed by Hermann Eggertt and Albert Carsten, was built between 1900 and 1904.[17] All the buildings were designed in the style of the Northern Renaissance with the elements of Art Nouveau. The images above the eastern side gate are a lighthouse and the tower of St. Mary's Church. The ornamental gutters are decorated with copper spouts in the shape of four male figures holding water monsters. The Clock Tower destroyed in 1945 was restored to the roof of the main building on 13 May 2012. The tower is 18 meters in height. The main building encloses inner courtyards that were covered by glass domes.

In 2012, the South Courtyard was officially renamed in honour of Johannes Hevelius. It is named after the French physicist who first performed a similar experiment at the Paris Pantheon in 1851. The Foucault pendulum is designed to show the rotation of the Earth on its axis. An electromagnet fixed at the point of suspension powers the movement of the pendulum. Reliefs in the window niches above the Foucault pendulum show the design of a reflective sundial (on the left) and a rotating map of the sky with a sextant.[18]

Faculties

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Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics

The university's faculties are:

  • Faculty of Architecture
  • Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics
  • Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering
  • Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics
  • Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
  • Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology
  • Faculty of Management and Economics

Chemical Faculty

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Student laboratory

The Chemical Faculty was one of the four original faculties of the university[19] and one of five faculties that started operations research and teaching in 1945 as a result of the decree of the Polish government transforming technical universities acting in Gdańsk since 1904 into Polish Gdańsk University of Technology.[20]

At the faculty, there are projects that were financed by the State Committee for Scientific Research and European Commission. At the faculty operates the Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring.[21] There are also research programmes financed by the European Commission within the framework of EU programmes V and VI.[22]

The faculty is involved in projects funded by the State Committee for Scientific Research and the European Commission. The Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring operates within the faculty.[23] Additionally, there are research programs financed by the European Commission under the EU's V and VI framework programmes.[24]

Academic Computer Centre

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The Academic Computer Centre in Gdańsk (CI TASK) has been operating since 1992 due to an agreement reached between the Tri-City's chief institutions of higher education. The initial plan was for it to primarily serve all schools of higher education as well as local branches of the Polish Academy of Sciences.[25]

Library

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Main article: Gdańsk University of Technology Library

The library has a collection of over a million volumes.[26] The library also stores publications in electronic form. The library has a total of 16 reading rooms. Gdańsk University of Technology has participated in the creation of the Universal Library.[27]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Statut Politechniki Gdańskiej" [Statute of Gdańsk University of Technology] (PDF). Gdańsk University of Technology (in Polish). 10 July 2024. p. 5. Dewiza Politechniki Gdańskiej brzmi: „Historia mądrością – przyszłość wyzwaniem". [The motto of the Gdańsk University of Technology is: "History is wisdom – the future is a challenge".]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Januszajtis, Andrzej. "Outline of the history of Polytechnic until 1945". Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Wittbrodt, Edmund. "An outline of the history of Gdańsk University of Technology in 1945-1989". Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Sprawozdanie z Działalności" [Activity Report] (PDF). Gdańsk University of Technology (in Polish). 2023. p. 21.
  5. ^ a b "Facts and figures". Gdańsk University of Technology. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b "2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities". 15 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b "QS World University Rankings 2025: Top global universities". 4 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025". 9 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Best Global Universities in Poland". Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  10. ^ "QS World University Rankings-Emerging Europe & Central Asia". 11 November 2021.
  11. ^ "QS World University Rankings: Europe 2025". 10 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Best universities in Europe 2025". 22 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Inicjatywa doskonałości – uczelnia badawcza" [Excellence initiative – research university]. gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  14. ^ For example rankings, refer to the "University rankings" infobox.
  15. ^ "Pohlhausen Ernst, rektor Technische Hochschule Danzig" [Pohlhausen Ernst, Technische Hochschule Danzig rector]. Gedanopedia (in Polish). Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  16. ^ a b Wittbrodt, Edmund. "History of Gdańsk University of Technology after 1989". Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Gdańsk University of Technology campus". Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  18. ^ http://pg.edu.pl/documents/10607/0/PROGRAM%20EUROPEJSKIEJ%20NOCY%20MUZE%C3%93W%20NA%20POLITECHNICE%20GDA%C5%83SKIEJ.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  19. ^ "History of the Chemical Faculty". chem.pg.edu.pl. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  20. ^ "Wehikuł czasu na Politechnice Gdańskiej; Politechnika Gdańska, audytorium chemiczne, wydział chemiczny, wydział chemia, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot". Trojmiasto.pl. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring at the Chemical Faculty of the Gdańsk University of Technology" (PDF). www.pjoes.com. 2 January 2004. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Faculty of Chemistry – General Information". chem.pg.edu.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring at the Chemical Faculty of the Gdańsk University of Technology" (PDF). www.pjoes.com. 2 January 2004. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Faculty of Chemistry – General Information". chem.pg.edu.pl. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  25. ^ "Academic Computer Centre in Gdansk". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  26. ^ "The Library of Gdansk University of Technology". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  27. ^ "Partners Pomerania Digital Library". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
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54°22′17″N 18°37′8″E / 54.37139°N 18.61889°E / 54.37139; 18.61889

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