80 YEARS AFTER THE 14TH CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION IN WARSAW, 23-31 AUGUST 1934

In 1934, the International Geographical Union arrived in Warsaw to attend its Congress which was held between 23rd and 31st August. A decision to accept the offer of the Polish government and meet for the first time in a Slavic country was taken at the previous Congress in Paris, in 1931. The Congress was attended by 693 participants from 44 countries, including 350 from Poland. The programme included 12 regional and thematic excursions and several cartographic exhibitions. Four volumes of Comptes Rendus du Congrès International de Géographie containing the proceedings of the Congress were published between 1935 and 1938.


VARIA: CHRONICLE
The upcoming Regional Conference of the International Geographical Union (IGU) will be held in Krakow on 18-22 August 2014 on exactly the 80th anniversary of the 14th IGU Congress in Warsaw. Since that congress, which took place between 23rd and 31st August 1934, Poland has not had a chance to host a worldwide geographical event of that scale and prestige. This alone is sufficient reason to devote a moment to that historic meeting, so momentous for the development of Polish geography.
Although the IGU was only established in 1922, geographers had already been meeting at worldwide events for some time. The first of these was held in Antwerp in 1871 and it was followed by nine more, including Rome in 1913, before the outbreak of the Great War. The host countries included: Belgium, France (twice), Italy (twice), Switzerland (twice), the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States of America. Poles attended some of them, but only as citizens of the powers that had partitioned their country, which did not exist at that time. The first congress after the war was held quite late, in 1925 in Cairo, and this is when Poland was present officially for the first time. Cairo was followed by London and Cambridge in 1928and Paris in 1931(Lecomte de Martonne 1959Kish 1992;Kosiński 2008). The latter congress was particularly rewarding for Poland as the IGU accepted the invitation of the Polish Government to organise the subsequent event in Warsaw, in 1934, and Eugeniusz Romer was formally elected Vice-President of IGU after having held this post unofficially since 1929.
The President of the Republic of Poland Ignacy Mościcki and Marshal of Poland Józef Piłsudski extended their honorary patronage to the Congress. For Poland, a country without statehood for more than 120 years before 1918, the organisation of an international event of this scale was as much an opportunity as a serious effort. In recognition of this IGU agreed to give the Polish language equal status with the main congress languages (French and English) for the duration of the event (of which privilege none of the Polish delegates took advantage). Poland was the first Slavic country to host an IGU congress and this was also the first post-war IGU congress to be attended by a sizeable German delegation, as the country was only admitted to the IGU shortly beforehand. This German participation was seen as a political success on the Polish side. Also the Turks inaugurated their participation in IGU congresses by attending Warsaw.
On the Polish side the Congress was organised by the National Geography Committee operating under the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (Polska Akademia Umiejętności) in Krakow. An Organising Committee was established with Eugeniusz Romer (IGU Vice-President, Jan Kazimierz University of Lvov) as Chairman (Fig. 1), Antoni Sujkowski (Chairman of the Polish Geographical Society, Warsaw School of Economics) as Deputy Chairman (Fig. 2), Stanisław Pawłowski (Poznań University) as Secretary General (Fig. 3) and two Treasurers: Jerzy Loth (Warsaw School of Economics) and Stanisław Lencewicz  , 1929-1938 and 1945-1949, Chairman of the Organisation Committee, Jan Kazimierz University, Lvov Source: Archives of the Jagiellonian University Institute of Geography and Spatial Managment. (Warsaw University). Members of the Committee included: Jerzy Smoleński (Jagiellonian University), Mieczysław Limanowski (Stefan Batory University of Vilnius), August Zierhoffer (Jan Kazimierz University of Lvov) and Jerzy Lewakowski (Military Geographic Institute) (Fig. 4). The opening ceremony and Congress proceedings took place at the Warsaw Polytechnic while the closing ceremony was staged in the Grand Hall of the Warsaw Scientific Society at the Staszic Palace (Zier hoffer 1935). Staszic Palace also housed Warsaw University's Department of Geography.
The opening ceremony was a major celebration and the President of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, arrived accompanied by top national officials, including the Minister of Treasury Władysław Marian Zawadzki (acting as deputy to Prime Minister Leon Kozłowski), Speaker of the Parliament Kazimierz Świtalski, Head of the Foreign Ministry Józef Beck, Minister of Religious Confessions and Public Enlightenment Wacław Jędrzejewicz and the government's Commissioner for the City of Warsaw Władysław Jaroszewicz. The President took a prominent chair before the front rows, which were taken by heads of embassies and consulates of the countries present in Poland (Figs. 5,6,7,8,9 and 10).
The session was opened by the Chairman of the International Geographical Union Isaiah Bowman (USA). After the opening speeches (including by Wacław Jędrzejewicz) the floor was given to representatives of the delegations, including Belgium, Germany, France, the USA, the UK, Italy and the Netherlands. The German speech was made by Ludwig Mecking who was also a representative of the Reich government. Read today, his text contains many statements that come across as mendacious, particularly those about the friendly feelings of Germany and its Fuehrer Hitler towards Poland. On the other hand, the intervention of the head of the delegation of French geographers, Emmanuel de Martonne, was received very positively, especially when he said: "Polish geography existed even when there was no Poland". Referring to the work of Ludomir Sawicki and Eugeniusz Romer he observed "During 15 years, independent Poland has made enormous achievements in geography. (…) One look at Poland reveals that it is a geographic body worthy of particular attention" (IKC 1934a: 13). Also he referred     to Eugeniusz Romer as "the architect of the edifice of Polish geography".
Charles Close, head of the Royal Geographical Society, referring to the stature of geography in the contemporary world observed: "The world is understood as the fatherland of Man -here is the grand motif of our discipline" (IKC 1934a: 13). In Warsaw he was elected the next IGU Chairman.
The last speaker to address the Congress during its opening was Eugeniusz Romer. Welcoming the guests on behalf of Polish geographers he said: "The idea of Poland, never forgotten and today reborn, creating itself, striding towards new worlds, I put foremost in my mind. This idea was what attracted you here; this and that awareness of the seriousness with which Poland desires to be known to you" (IKC 1934a: 14).
At the end of the first day of the Congress President Ignacy Mościcki hosted geographers from around the world at the Warsaw Royal Castle.
Altogether 693 delegates from 44 countries of the world took part, including 367 Poles. Other large delegations included the French (87), German (50), British (44), Italian (43), Belgian (23), US and Spanish (10 each). A small Soviet delegation also arrived. Included among the international guests were several eminent geographers (Tab. 1). In the Polish delegation the foremost group included university researchers, but there were also teachers, popularisers of local history and geography, students of geography and enthusiasts. Alongside professional researchers there were also junior members of the government and representatives of the army and navy.   Approximately 250 presentations were made during the Congress and the French delegation accounted for the largest number of these. The participants participated in one of six sections: cartography, physical geography, human geography, prehistoric geography, history of geography and historical geography, landscape geography and teaching of geography (Tab. 2). The cartographers mainly discussed ways of representing ground relief on maps and via aerial remote sensing. One of the popular topics was the methodology of making cartograms and composite maps. This section involved 40 presentations.
In the physical geography section there were 79 presentations mostly devoted to Quaternary research. Other topics included fossilized erosion surfaces and river and marine terraces.
The human geography section (82 presentations) focused on industry, urban geography (especially physiognomy), overpopulation and rural settlement. Polish geographers won some popularity in the last of the topics. Stanisław Pawłowski and Józef Czekalski were applauded for their settlement maps of Poland (1:500,000) depicting the concentration and dispersion of villages around the country. Detailed case studies in this area were presented by Julian Czyżewski (south--eastern Poland), Stanisław Leszczycki and Stanisława Zajchowska (Western Carpathian Mts.), Maria Kiełczewska (Pomerania), Bogdan Zaborski (Vilnius and surroundings), Tadeusz Senik (Roztocze).
The Warsaw Congress added a session to the regular congress agenda covering the host country's geography. The Polish Day (24 August) involved lectures by eminent scholars, including geographers, geologists, historians and ethnologists. The most impressive were contributions by Eugeniusz Romer on the fundamental issues of human geography in Poland and by Mieczysław Limanowski on the geographical significance of the five largest Polish cities, including Poznań, Krakow, Lvov, Vilnius andWarsaw (Lencewicz 1934/1935). There was also a series of lectures delivered by the most eminent geographers from various countries.
In between sessions, the participants had an opportunity to visit various schools in Warsaw, including elementary and secondary schools, a school of commerce and the National Institute of Hygiene. The visitors were particularly impressed by the equipment and teaching methods in the geography laboratory at the Ministry of Religious Confessions and Public Enlightenment located at the Pedagogical Museum and headed by Gustaw Wuttke, Michał Janiszewski and Jadwiga Peretiatkowicz. The visitors committed themselves to spreading information about the laboratory in their own countries (Polaczkówna 1935).
Social occasions were very popular. After the reception at the Royal Castle there were similar events at the Council of Ministers, the Town Hall (hosted by the Mayor Stefan Starzyński and his wife) and at the commercial association Resursa Obywatelska 1 organised at the end of the Congress and linked with a grand ball at the Bristol Hotel. A concert was also organised with eminent musicians playing at the Warsaw conservatory.
The Polish Geographic Society minted a special commemorative medal bearing an image of the geographer Wacław Nałkowski and a Latin inscription. Silver versions of the medal were handed to Isaiah Bowman, Emmanuel de Martonne, Eugeniusz Romer and Stanisław Pawłowski, while all other participants received bronze versions.
During the closing ceremony, Eugeniusz Romer summarised the accomplishments of the Congress. Its proceedings were then published in four volumes between 1935 and 1938 under the collective title Comptes Rendus du Congrès International de Géographie. Varsovie 1934 (Lencewicz 1934/1935) (Fig. 11).
During one of the two IGU sessions, Eugeniusz Romer was again elected Vice-President. Other Polish geographers elected to various committees included Stanisław Pawłowski, Józef Czekalski, Stanisław Lencewicz, Julian Czyżewski and Henryk Arctowski. The delegates also voted on several motions that were tabled. Two of the decisions are worth mentioning here: 1. The Joachim Lelewel Society was established with the aim of conducting research into the history of geography (named after a great Polish historian and social thinker), and 2. An appeal was 1 Resursa Obywatelska in Warsaw, a building erected in 1860-1861 at Krakowskie Przedmieście Street 64. Between 1861 and 1939 this was the HQ of Warszawska Resursa Kupiecka, or Warsaw Association of Commerce. It burned down during the Nazi German invasion of Poland in September 1939September and was rebuilt during 1948September -1950 extended to national governments to introduce the topic of geography in schools of all types and levels due to its outstanding pedagogical value (IKC 1934b: 5).
A number of cartographic exhibitions were arranged to accompany the Congress. They included an International Exhibition of Contemporary Cartography at Warsaw Polytechnic curated by Jerzy Lewakowski (Military Institute of Geography), an exhibition of the cartographic collection of the National Library with a trio of curators: Karol Buczek, Bolesław Olszewicz and Jan Stebnowski, an exhibition about the process of map production with Tadeusz Krzanowski (Military Institute of Geography), an exhibition of contemporary Polish cartography organised by Stanisław Pietkiewicz (Warsaw University) and an international map exhibition. An art exhibition "Poland and its People" was opened at the Zachęta Art Gallery. Polish and French catalogues were also published on all of these exhibitions. The catalogue of the exhibition of the Figure 11. Title page of the 1st volume Comptes Rendus du Congrès International de Géographie, Varsovie 1934(IGU 1935 National Library collection was prepared by Karol Buczek and Bolesław Olszewicz. The International Exhibition of Contemporary Cartography, the first of its kind in the world, was organised on a Polish initiative and President Ignacy Mościcki was present during the opening ceremony (Fig. 12). Organisations invited included official national (military) cartographic, topographic and geographic institutions. Altogether 35 countries contributed more than 2500 exhibits. The Polish section stood out for its quality. The exhibition had three objectives: • to show various types of topographical maps used in different countries, • to present the main types of physical and cultural landscape, and • to demonstrate the development of the main types of topographical maps. After the closing of the exhibitions the exhibits were donated to the Polish National Library and Military Institute of Geography (Lewakowski 1934, Pietkiewicz 1934/1935  Szkolna publishing house, and the Polish Teachers' Union. Additionally, Bogdan Zaborski also presented his cartographic products. The maps main themes were geological, geomorphological, meteorological, hydrological, maritime, economic, and demographic, as well as soils, transport and tourism. More than one hundred maps were presented by the Książnica-Atlas publishing house, the dominant player in the school section (Pietkiewicz 1934/1935).
Twelve regional and thematic excursions were organised (Tab. 3, Fig. 13) with 244 participants. Three of these, all longer than one day, took place before the Congress with 62 participants (Fig. 14). During the Congress there were three single day trips with 106 participants altogether. Four more trips were organised after the Congress and these had 76 participants (Fig. 15). All the trips were accompanied by quality guidebooks which are still highly regarded by geographers today (Fig. 16).  The Congress was praised first of all for the quality of its content and its great contribution to the development of science in general and to geography in particular. The good standard of organisation of the event was often quoted along with the quality of the presentations, which often led to several-hour long discussions afterwards. The excursions also garnered plaudits that noted the good selection of itineraries and the excellent preparedness of the leaders. The trips to Polesie,   Krakow and the Tatras, and to the Baltic coast impressed the participants the most.
Many of the post-Congress reports were devoted to the cartographic exhibitions. They highlighted the importance of the Polish initiative to organise a grand worldwide cartography event in Warsaw. Indeed, this was the first of its kind and the authors of the accounts suggested that future congresses continue with this idea (Czekalski 1934(Czekalski /1935Kish 1979).
The Congress provided an excellent opportunity for the promotion of Poland. Each participant received numerous publications on Poland in foreign languages, as well as a full set of geographical studies published in Poland during the five years leading up to the event. Polish geographers proved that in many areas they had achieved at least as much as their international colleagues. Human geography was the leading such field (especially in terms of rural settlement), along with geomorphology. The world cartography exhibition proved that Polish achievements in this area, and especially the maps published by Military Institute of Geography, were world class and the technology used to produce them was no different to that used internationally. The participants had also an opportunity to visit some of the leading Polish geography centres (Warsaw, Krakow, Poznań and Vilnius).
On the occasion of the Congress, Stanisław Pawłowski wrote for the Gazeta Polska daily an article that provided a commentary on the contents of the proceedings. The article begins: "Geography has an enormous significance both internationally and in relation to individual states. There is only one Earth and there can only be one earth science. For more than two thousand years, this science was geography." He continues: "Geography is a science of communication and accord between nations. More than once, there were champions of universal values and the brotherhood of peoples among geographers. Major fields within geography, such as cartography, physical geography and human geography, have been fulfilling the important role of uniting people. The edifice of geographical knowledge, erected by the joint effort of the world's nations, is serving everyone. And again: Geography has great merit in the service of and for humanity. Geography is also serving nations and states. (…) Geography offers a picture of the real possibilities for the development of countries and the kind of conditions that make this development possible." "Knowledge about this piece of land where fate has placed societies is an indispensible step in the wise adaptation of humanity to natural conditions. Knowledge of the geography of other countries on earth, on the other hand, is the only serious foundation for the normalisation of interpersonal and international relations. Hence geography serves states and nations as few other sciences do." (Pawłowski 1934).
These words provide the best punch line for considering the importance of geography and geographical congresses in the process of stabilising interpersonal and international relations. Despite the 80 years that have passed since writing these words, they have lost none of their topicality.
Editors note: Unless otherwise stated, the sources of tables and figures are the author(s), on the basis of their own research.