Włodzimierz Borodziej (9 September 1956 – 12 July 2021) was a Polish historian and writer specializing in contemporary European history with particular focus on Polish-German relations. Borodziej was a professor of humanistic sciences, and former

prorector Academic rank (also scientific rank) is the rank of a scientist or teacher in a college, high school, university or research establishment. The academic ranks indicate relative importance and power of individuals in academia. The academic rank ...

of the

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

. He was the Polish-side Chairman of

German-Polish Textbook Commission German Polish or Polish German may refer to: * German–Polish relations *German minority in Poland The registered German minority in Poland at the 2011 national census consisted of 148,000 people, of whom 64,000 declared both German and Polish ...

from 1997 to 2007.

Biography

Born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Włodzimierz Borodziej was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Wiktor Borodziej (1929–2004) from the former Polish secret police

Służba Bezpieczeństwa The Ministry of Public Security ( pl, Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego), commonly known as UB or later SB, was the secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage agency operating in the Polish People's Republic. From 1945 to 1954 it w ...

who reportedly helped his son acquire German high school education in Berlin and in Vienna while serving abroad. Discussion of his father and his involvement with the secret operation ''Żelazo'' (Iron) against political targets in Western Europe, has caused some controversy in Polish academia, as some commentators see it as irrelevant, and an attempt to discredit his son's work due to family background. Włodzimierz Borodziej graduated with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

in 1979. In 1984 Borodziej received a title of

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from his own alma mater, followed by habilitation earned in 1991 for his scientific treatise ''Poland in international relations between 1945 and 1947'' (''Polska w stosunkach międzynarodowych 1945-1947''). In 2004 he received the title of professor of humanistic sciences at Warsaw University, where in 1999–2002 Borodziej served as prorector (deputy to university's

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

). In 2020, he was awarded the

Carl von Ossietzky Carl von Ossietzky (; 3 October 1889 – 4 May 1938) was a German journalist and pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in exposing the clandestine German re-armament. As editor-in-chief of the magazine ''Die ...

Prize (''Carl-Ossietzky-Preis'') conferred by the German city of Oldenburg for his work on the Polish-German history in the 20th century.

Work

Borodziej was the author of ''The

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

of 1944'' published in Polish, German and English. In his book he paints a complex picture of the everyday life in the embattled city, describes the

Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) est ...

operations, as well as supply situation and medical challenges in the capital. He was also a leading figure in the establishment of the House of European History which opened in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in 2017.

Selected publications

* Włodzimierz Borodziej (1985), ''Terror i polityka : policja niemiecka a polski ruch oporu w GG 1939-1944'', . * Włodzimierz Borodziej (1990), ''Od Poczdamu do Szklarskiej Poręby: Polska w stosunkach międzynarodowych 1945-1947'', * Włodzimierz Borodziej at al (1999), ''Polska i Niemcy: krótki przewodnik po historii sąsiedztwa'', . * Włodzimierz Borodziej (2001), ''Der Warschauer Aufstand 1944'', . * Włodzimierz Borodziej (2006), ''The Warsaw Uprising of 1944'', . * Włodzimierz Borodziej (2009), ''Gdyby... całkiem inna historia Polski: historia kontrfaktyczna'', . * (co-author) (2015), Nasza wojna. Europa Środkowo-Wschodnia 1912–1916. Volume 1. Imperia. * (co-author) (2018) Nasza wojna. Europa Środkowo-Wschodnia 1917–1923. Volume 2. Narody.

References

Prof. Dr. Włodzimierz Borodziej
at Deutsch-Polnische Schulbuchkommission.de. {{DEFAULTSORT:Borodziej, Wlodzimierz 1956 births 2021 deaths Writers from Warsaw 21st-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers University of Warsaw alumni Academic staff of the University of Warsaw Historians of Poland Herder Prize recipients Historians of World War II 20th-century Polish historians 20th-century Polish male writers 21st-century Polish male writers