The article deals with the works of the Special Mixed Commission formed as a result of the Polish-Soviet Riga Peace Treaty, which functioned during the years 1921–1937. The issue of the Polish cultural goods was brought forward by the Polish side already during the initial phases of the peace negotiations. The Poles considerd their cultural claims as one of the major problems to be resolved. Poland demanded the return of various archival, library and museum objects. These demands were met to a certain degree. Detailed issues were to be decided by the Mixed Commission. Since the beginning of its functioning, the Commission was aided by the Warsaw University Library, which received the manuscripts, incunabula, and old prints, belonging to the King Stanislaw Poniatowski collections, returned by the Russians. Subsequently, the materials of other than university provenance were transferred in three stages to the National Library (in 1930, 1931, 1936), and to other institutions, among them the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. The recovery of Polish cultural goods, decreed by the Riga Peace Treaty, because of its far reaching scope, was unprecedented in history. As aresult, Poland regained her great library collections, which were forcibly taken out of the country and allocated to the fonds of the Russian book repositories during the 18th and the 19th centuries. But the process was neither easy nor quick. The Soviet side returned the materials kept at Leningrad – 1764 Latin, French and Italian manuscripts, 1308 incunabula, and 250 historical charters and acts – not earlier than in April 1936. The efforts related to the return of these particular monuments are treated by the author.
Archivists, librarians and historians remember Piotr Bańkowski (1885–1976) chiefly as the expert and member (later on vice-president) of the Polish delegations in Soviet Russia for reclaiming Polish cultural goods, during the interwar period. He is also associated with the Polish National Library, where he served as custodianof manuscripis, as the editor-in-chief of the journal Archeion, and finally as one of the organizers and donors of the Łomża Scientific Society. In 1912, Bańkowski graduated from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, with adoctorate in philosophy. Thanks to afellowship granted by the Mianowski Fund, he continued his education in France, where he stayed until 1915. Returning to Poland through Russia, had to pause for a longer period in St. Petersburg, where he earned his living teaching Polish literature and history in high schools, and at the Polish Higher Courses. In 1918, after his return to Poland, first he was appointed assistant and then director of the State Archives in Lublin. In 1924, he moved to Warsaw to take part in the archival works on the materials of the former Orthodox Church Consistory. During the years 1927–1936, he was part of the Joined Polish-Soviet Special Commission for Re-evacuation of Polish cultural goods in Moscow and St. Petersburg. From 1935 until 1940 he was employed by the Polish National Library in Warsaw. During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, he remained with the most precious archival collections deposited at the Sokolnicki Fort, guarding the materials. After the war, from 1951 until 1976, he was the editor-in-chief of the archival journal Archeion. Apart from professional responsibilities, Bańkowski was an activist devoted to the Łomża region, from which his family originated, and to the professional organizations of Polish archivists, librarians and historians.
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Piotr Bańkowski (1885–1976) w pamięci archiwistów, bibliotekarzy i historyków zapisał się głównie jako ekspert i członek (a później zastępca prezesa) delegacji polskich w Komisji Mieszanej Reewakuacyjnej i Specjalnej w Moskwie i Petersburgu, pracownik archiwów państwowych, kustosz Biblioteki Narodowej, redaktor naczelny „Archeionu” oraz współorganizator i donator Łomżyńskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego im. Wagów. W 1912 r. ukończył studia na Uniwersytecie Jagiellońskim (uzyskując stopień doktora filozofii). Następnie kontynuował naukę we Francji (dzięki stypendium Kasy im. Józefa Mianowskiego). W Paryżu przebywał do połowy 1915 r. Wracając do Polski, zatrzymał się w Petersburgu, gdzie uczył historii literatury polskiej i historii w polskich szkołach średnich i na Wyższych Kursach Polskich. Po powrocie do kraju, pod koniec 1918 r., otrzymał stanowisko asystenta, a później zastępcy dyrektora Archiwum Państwowego w Lublinie. W 1924 r. został oddelegowany do Warszawy do porządkowania akt byłego Konsystorza Prawosławnego. Wlatach 1927–1936 brał udział w pracach rewindykacyjnych w Komisji Reewakuacyjnej i Specjalnej w Moskwie iPetersburgu. Od 1935 r. do 1940 r. pracował wBibliotece Narodowej. Wczasie powstania warszawskiego przebywał na Forcie Sokolnickiego, gdzie miał pod opieką najcenniejsze zespoły akt państwowych archiwów warszawskich. W latach 1951–1976 był redaktorem „Archeionu”. Był społecznikiem zaangażowanym w pracę na rzecz środowiska lokalnego – łomżyńskiego, a także zawodowego – archiwistów i bibliotekarzy. Był członkiem: Towarzystwa Literackiego im. A. Mickiewicza, Towarzystwa Miłośników Historii, Polskiego Towarzystwa Historycznego, Towarzystwa Bibliofilów Polskich w Warszawie, Związku Nauczycielstwa Polskiego, Związku Bibliotekarzy Polskich oraz Związku Bibliotekarzy i Archiwistów.
2022 is the 135. anniversary of birth of Ludwik Wertenstein – the pioneer of radioactivity research in Poland, assistant of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, friend of James Chadwick, fellow employee of Ernest Rutheford, co-organiser of the Radiology Unit of the Warsaw Scientific Society. The article, referring to (national and foreign) archival materials and literature, presents Professor Wertenstein and his scholar activity, describes the circumstances of his work, his family relations, as well as extensive international contacts with the physicists and chemists.
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