Eugeniusz Mikołaj Romer (3 February 1871 in
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
( pl, Lwów, german: Lemberg) – 28 January 1954) was a distinguished
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
,
cartographer and
geopolitician, whose maps and atlases are still highly valued by experts.
Born in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, he graduated from a high school in
Nowy Sącz and studied history, geology, geography and meteorology at the
Jagiellonian University in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, also attending courses in Lwów and
Halle (Saale). In 1894, Romer earned a doctorate in philosophy at
University of Lviv
The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
. He was a president of
Polish Copernicus Society of Naturalists
Polish Copernicus Society of Naturalists ( pl, Polskie Towarzystwo Przyrodników im. Kopernika) is a Polish scientific society for natural sciences researchers.
History
The society was founded in 1875 in Lviv on the initiative of natural science ...
(1910–11).
In final years of the 19th century, he went to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
to broaden his knowledge of glaciology, geology and meteorology. Romer also went to
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
, to study tectonics and morphology. In 1911 he became professor of Lwów University (in 1946 also of Jagiellonian University), later he was named ''professor honoris causa'' at the universities in Lwów,
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
and Kraków. In 1952 he became a member of
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society o ...
In 1909 Romer went to
Switzerland, to study Alpine glaciers. Next year, he traveled to Asia, and in 1913 to
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
, to the
Saint Elias Mountains
The Saint Elias Mountains (french: Chaîne Saint-Élie) are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in southeastern Alaska in the United States, Southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada. The range ...
(where one of glaciers has been named after him). In 1916, while in Vienna, Romer started work on the ''Great Statistical and Geographical Atlas of Poland''. This atlas, published in Vienna in 1916, was crucial to establishing borders of the
Second Polish Republic. He was a member of the Polish delegation at the
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, helping to draw the western border of Poland. His Ukrainian rival, and the father of Ukrainian geography,
Stepan Rudnytsky, was a fellow student of
Albrecht Penck
Albrecht Penck (25 September 1858 – 7 March 1945) was a German geographer and geologist and the father of Walther Penck.
Biography
Born in Reudnitz near Leipzig, Penck became a university professor in Vienna, Austria, from 1885 to 1906, a ...
in Vienna.
The second edition of his atlas was published in Lwów and
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 ...
in 1921.
In 1921 in Lwów Romer founded ''Cartographical Institute''. In 1921-24 he led to a merger of two publishing companies ''Książnica'' and ''Atlas'' into ''Ksiaznica-Atlas'',
which was moved to
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It still exists today. In 1929 he retired, concentrating his activities on the institute. However, he kept close ties with Lwów's Jan Kazimierz University, lecturing and examining.
In 1941, when Lwów was captured by the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
, he hid in a monastery at Piekarska Street, and
this decision probably saved his life. Soon after, 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 ...
decided to move him to Warsaw, from where he was to be transferred to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
to work as an advisor of the
Polish government-in-exile
The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
. However, doctors recommended that Romer should stay in the occupied country, as the journey was too risky for his weak health. Thus, he remained in Warsaw, using the false name Edmund Piotrowski. Romer survived 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 ...
and a
camp in Pruszków.
After the war, he settled in Kraków, taking the post of director of Department of Geography at the
Jagiellonian University. Since 1899, he had been married to Jadwiga Rossknecht, daughter of co-owner of the
Okocim Brewery
Okocim Brewery (), in Brzesko in southeastern Poland, is a brewery founded in 1845.
History
The brewery was established in 1845 by Johann Evangelist Götz (1815-1893), a German beer maker born in Wirtemberg together with Joseph Neumann, fro ...
. They had two sons: Witold Romer (1900–1967), professor of the
Wrocław University of Technology
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
and Edmund Romer (1904–1988), professor of the
Silesian University of Technology
The Silesian University of Technology (Polish name: Politechnika Śląska; ) is a university located in the Polish province of Silesia, with most of its facilities in the city of Gliwice. It was founded in 1945 by Polish professors of the Lwow P ...
in
Gliwice
Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capi ...
.
Eugeniusz Romer died 1954 in Kraków and was buried at the
Salwator Cemetery.
Sources
* http://www.lwow.home.pl/semper/romer.html
* http://www.pgi.gov.pl/muzeum/poczet/Eugeniusz_Romer/eugeniusz_romer.html
* https://archive.today/20130415102509/http://www.muzeum-polskie.org/muzeum/w-18-21-eng.htm
* http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/63522,,,,romer_eugeniusz,haslo.html
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romer, Eugeniusz
1871 births
1954 deaths
Polish cartographers
Polish geographers
Jagiellonian University alumni
University of Lviv alumni
University of Lviv faculty
Jagiellonian University faculty
Geopoliticians
Burials at Salwator Cemetery
Römer family