JULIAN KOŁACZKOWSKI: NEWS TYCZĄCE SIĘ PRZEMYSŁU I SZTUKI W DAWNEJ POLSCE [1905].

Description

This is the “renewed edition” (second) of the monumental encyclopedia of Polish industry and handicrafts, authored by Julian Kołaczkowski (1825-1906) – engineer, historian of technology and pioneer of Polish industrial museology . The publication was published in 1905 in Lviv by the Gubrynowicz and Schmidt bookstore.

The work is a compendium of knowledge about old crafts, manufactures and factories in the Polish lands, arranged in alphabetical order. It contains about 330 entries, describing, among others: pharmacies, weapons, printing houses, carpets, faience, musical and surgical instruments, jewelry making, playing cards, carpets, lithography, farm machinery, medallions, mills, ships, perfumes, wigs, brewing, porcelain, carriages, engraving, samovars, glass, snuff, tobacco, cold cuts, children’s toys, clocks, watches and iron . Drawing on archival sources, the literature on the subject and his own field research, Kołaczkowski showed the richness and high artistic and technical level of Polish craftsmanship over the centuries.

“News…” are to this day an invaluable source of knowledge for historians of art, technology, the economy, as well as for museologists, historic preservationists and all those interested in the history of Polish manufacturing. The publication, issued on the eve of Poland’s regaining independence, was an important voice in the discussion of Polish industrial and artistic heritage and the need to document and protect it.

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