Zbigniew Jan Władysław Antoni Burzyński (31 March 1902 in
Zhovkva
Zhovkva is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (Oblast, region) of western Ukraine. Zhovkva hosts the administration of Zhovkva urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is approximately
History
A ...
, near
Lwów
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
– 30 December 1971 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 ...
), was a Polish balloonist and constructor of balloons, pioneer of Polish balloons, who twice won the
Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning, also beat the world record.
Biography
Zbigniew Burzyński was the son of Helena Jaźwiecka and Władysław Burzyński, a forestry engineer. Raised in a middle-class family, he attended high schools in Lwów,
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
and
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, where he joined the Cadet Corps and in 1919 graduated. Then, he entered the Artillery School in
Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
, after this school, briefly serving in the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment in
Nowy Targ
Nowy Targ (Officially: ''Royal Free city of Nowy Targ'', Yiddish: ''Naymark'', Gorals, Goral dialect: ''Nowy Torg'' ) is a town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is located in the Orava-Nowy Targ Basin at the foot of the Go ...
.
On 1 May 1921 Burzyński was sent to a course of aeronautic observers at the Officers' Aeronautic School in
Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
. He completed it with honors and remained there as a lecturer, where he was promoted to
Second Lieutenant. He translated from French the handbook of the
first Polish zeppelin and participated in its assembly as well as first flights. In the summer of 1922, he made the first balloon flight. The next year, he was promoted to Lieutenant.
In 1924 Burzyński received training at the balloon factory in the French aeronautical centre of
Chalais-Meudon
Chalais-Meudon is an aeronautical research and development centre in Meudon, to the south-west of Paris. It was originally founded in 1793 in the nearby Château de Meudon and has played an important role in the development of French aviation. ...
. After returning, he opened a shop in
Legionowo, which produced fabrics for balloon bags. Under his command, first Polish balloons were made. He remained in Legionowo until 1937, as commandant of the company of observatory balloons in the 2nd Balloon Battalion of the
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
. Also, in 1934 he was promoted to Captain. Between 1937 and 1939 he completed the technical course for aviation officers in Warsaw, creating a prototype of the first Polish
barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision with hostile aircraft, making the atta ...
.
Burzyński also actively participated in ballooning tournaments. His first competition took place in September 1928, during the National Tournament of Balloons. Flying in ''Lwów'', together with
Franciszek Hynek, they finished first, with a total distance of 380 km. The following year, flying in ''Wilno'', he participated in international tournament in Poznań, but without success.
In 1932 Burzyński and Hynek were the first Polish crew to participate in the Gordon Bennett Cup. Flying the ''Gdynia'', they crossed 1075 kilometres from
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
to
Bielany
in 17 hours, with an average speed of 63 km/h, which was the best speed of all 16 crews. On February 28, 1933 Burzyński and Hynek ascended in ''Toruń'' to an altitude of 9762 m, beating the Polish record.
In the 1933 Gordon Bennett Cup, which took place in United States, Hynek, with Burzyński as his co-pilot, won the competition, flying 1361 km in ''Kosciuszko'' from
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
to
Aulmes in Canada in 39 hours and 39 minutes. The next year, in the Gordon Bennett Cup in Poland, Burzyński's crew finished second in ''Warszawa II'' to his former teammate Hynek, who took first in the "Kościuszko" with a new teammate. In the 1935 Gordon Bennett Cup, Burzyński and new teammate W. Wysocki took first place with a flight of 1650 km, a world record for distance, landing at
Tishkino, USSR, near
Kazan
Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...
57 hours and 54 minutes after takeoff.
In the fall of 1938 Burzyński planned to fly in the
Gwiazda Polski, but the takeoff did not take place due to fire.
During the
Polish September Campaign
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet ...
, Burzyński was caught by the Germans and kept in a POW camp from 6 October 1939 until 1 April 1945. In November of that year, he returned to Poland. In 1955 he graduated from the
Warsaw Polytechnic, earning a diploma of engineer of mechanics. Also, he initiated recreational ballooning in Poland as well as
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''ÄŒesko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. He authored two books: ''Kosciuszko nad Ameryka'' (1934) and ''Balonem przez kontynenty'' (1956).
Awards and decorations
*

Officer's Cross of the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...
(1964)
*

Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (11 November 1935)
* Gold
Cross of Merit (twice, 1933, 1934
)
* Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921
* Medal of the 10th Anniversary of Regained Independence
* Bronze
Medal of Merit for National Defence (1967)
* Badge of Honour of the
Airborne and Antigas Defence League
Sources
* Jerzy R. Konieczny, Tadeusz Malinowski: "Mala encyklopedia lotnikow polskich", Warszawa 1983, .
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burzynski, Zbigniew
1902 births
1971 deaths
Polish aviators
Polish Army officers
Balloon flight record holders
Polish aviation record holders
People from Zhovkva