Jan Dylik
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Jan Dylik (19 June 1905 – 6 June 1973) was a Polish geography professor at the
University of Łódź The University of Łódź (, ) is a public research university founded in 1945 in Łódź, Poland, as a continuation of three higher education institutions functioning in Łódź in the interwar period — the Teacher Training Institute (192 ...
. He was born in
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
on 19 June 1905. In 1925 he begain post-secondary studies at
Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
. He then went on to attend
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań The Adam Mickiewicz University (; Latin: ''Universitas Studiorum Mickiewicziana Posnaniensis'') is a research university in Poznań, Poland. Due to its history, the university is traditionally considered among Poland's most reputable institution ...
to pursue research and a doctoral degree. He found himself fascinated by the differences in geology between the
Greater Poland Voivodeship Greater Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. The province is named after the region called Greater Poland (''Wielkopolska'' ). The modern province includes most of this historic re ...
and the
Łódź Voivodeship Łódź Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province is named after its capital and largest city, Łódź, pronounced . Łódź Voivodeship is bordered by six other voivodeships: Masovian Voivodeship ...
. He collaborated with Stanisław Lencewicz on a project to analyze the
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
region's geology and geomorphology. The resulting paper was published in 1927, and for many years was considered the only source of information on the geology of
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
.Profesor Jan Dylik. Sylwetki łódzkich uczonych, z. 21, red. H. Klatkowa. ŁTN, Łódź 1995, s. 29-30. From 1928-1930, while still balancing the responsibilities of research, he worked as an assistant in the National Museum of Archaeology in Poland. In 1930, he completed his doctoral degree for a dissertation on Stone Age settlements in the Warta River Gorge. After obtaining his doctoral degree, Dylik sought funding from the National Culture Fund of Poland in order to travel and study abroad. In 1932, funding was granted for a research trip to Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. The research obtained during this trip was the basis for a 1935 paper he published on Neolithic-era Settlements in the Northern Vienna Basin. This trip inspired him to travel yet again, and in 1934, another grant was offered for a research trip to Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. After his research trip in 1934, he served on the International Geographic Congress in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
as the Secretary of the Section on Prehistoric and Historical Geography, where he authored and presented a paper on the geographical location of prehistoric settlements and the historic development of ecumenism in western Poland. This marked the height of Dylik's association with archaeology, as shortly after this period, his career shifted away from anthropological geography toward pure geology. He still maintained close ties with his contacts in the field of archaeology, and continued to collaborate with them for future research. He also forever remained an archaeologist at heart in some regards, keeping his habit of treating geological sites with the same deal of care and meticulousness as if they were archaeological dig sites.Profesor Jan Dylik. Sylwetki łódzkich uczonych, z. 21, red. H. Klatkowa.ŁTN, Łódź 1995, s. 5-8 In 1934, Dylik finally returned to
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, and from 1935 to the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he researched and lectured at the
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
branch of the
Free Polish University Free Polish University (), founded in 1918 in Warsaw, was a private university with different departments: mathematics and natural sciences, humanities, political sciences and social pedagogy. From 1929, its degrees were equivalent to those of ...
, which later became the
University of Łódź The University of Łódź (, ) is a public research university founded in 1945 in Łódź, Poland, as a continuation of three higher education institutions functioning in Łódź in the interwar period — the Teacher Training Institute (192 ...
. He primarily focused on geological surveys of the local region surrounding
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
. However, parts of his work were destroyed when war broke out in 1939. When German forces occupied Poland, Dylik and his family were displaced, and eventually ended up in Warsaw. During this time, much of the research and materials Dylik procured during his previous career was lost. While battling harsh living conditions, Dylik had to work as an unskilled laborer to earn a living, but he never gave up his love for academia. In 1942 he lectured in anthropogeography and economic geography at the
University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...
. There, he even wrote a dissertation and part of a textbook. Unfortunately, all the works were destroyed in the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
in 1944. Remaining loyal to his country, he participated in the Polish Resistance in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. This was reflected in his academic work, as during the occupation, he began compiling geographical information on East Prussia, Western Pomerania, Lubusz Land, and Lower Silesia, historically and culturally significant parts of Poland that were lost to war and invasion. This was an effort to prepare for returning and reincorporating said lands back into post-war Poland, in hopes that Poland could become stronger and more united in the future. This compilation of geographical, historical, and economic research survived, and made its way into a book titled "Geografia Ziem Odzyskanych," or "Geography of Recovered Land" in 1946. Immediately after central Poland was no longer under German occupation, Dylik returned to
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
to begin working at the
University of Łódź The University of Łódź (, ) is a public research university founded in 1945 in Łódź, Poland, as a continuation of three higher education institutions functioning in Łódź in the interwar period — the Teacher Training Institute (192 ...
, which was established in 1945 from the remnants of the
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
branch of the
Free Polish University Free Polish University (), founded in 1918 in Warsaw, was a private university with different departments: mathematics and natural sciences, humanities, political sciences and social pedagogy. From 1929, its degrees were equivalent to those of ...
. In 1947 he achieved the title of associate professor. In 1950, he established the Department of Geography and was appointed the head of the department. By 1956 he became a full professor. From there he exercised an enormous influence in the development of periglacial geomorphology. He led the Periglacial Commission of the
International Geographical Union The International Geographical Union (IGU; , UGI) is an international geographical society. The first International Geographical Congress was held in Antwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the establishment of the permanent organization i ...
from 1952 to 1972. He established the journal ''
Biuletyn Peryglacjalny ''Biuletyn Peryglacjalny'' was a scientific journal covering research on periglacial geomorphology. It was established in 1954 in Łódź by Polish geomorphologist Jan Dylik, who was its editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as le ...
'' in 1954 and served as its editor-in-chief until 1972. In addition to his role in the Periglacial Commission and ''Biuletyn Peryglacjalny'' he had extensive contacts among
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
scientists. In particular Jan Dylik had regular contact with
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
scientists such as Konstantin Markov and Aleksandr Popov. Knowing
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
allowed Dylik to overcome the
language barrier A language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to refer to linguistic barriers to communication, i.e. the difficulties in communication experienced by people or groups originally speaking different languages (or different dialects in ...
and access the rich Soviet literature on
permafrost Permafrost () is soil or underwater sediment which continuously remains below for two years or more; the oldest permafrost has been continuously frozen for around 700,000 years. Whilst the shallowest permafrost has a vertical extent of below ...
. From Dylik's links with the Soviet Union a regular student exchange between the University of Łódź and
Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
emerged. In 1963, Dylik was awarded the "Award of the City of Łódź for achievements in the field of natural sciences". On June 7, 1973, a few days before turning 68, Jan Dylik suffered a heart attack and died as a result. He leaves behind a large legacy on Polish academia as well as the international geomorphology community. He is buried at the Old Cemetery in
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dylik, Jan Climatic geomorphologists 20th-century Polish archaeologists Polish geomorphologists Sedimentologists Academic staff of the University of Łódź 1905 births 1973 deaths