Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Polish: Politechnika Wrocławska, founded as German: Technische Hochschule Breslau) is an autonomous technical university in Wrocław, Poland. With buildings dispersed throughout the city, its main facilities are gathered at a central location near Plac Grunwaldzki, alongside the Oder river. It operates three regional branches in Jelenia Góra, Legnica, and Wałbrzych.
Students and staff
Currently the university educates over 32,000 students in almost 50 Bachelor, Master, and PhD programs. Every year over 4,000 degrees are conferred, with over 80,000 graduates since its foundation. The university staff consists of over 2000 academic employees and another 2,000 administration workers.
Today, it belongs to the best technical universities in Poland: It rates high in the annual rankings of Polish universities. In 2006 and 2007, it was announced the best technical university in Poland in the oldest Polish ranking of higher education schools carried out by Wprost magazine and second best in 2013. The university ranked first in the modern technologies group (disciplines: computer science, electronics, materials science) of the Where to study? ranking. It ranked second among the best technical universities in information technology and the most innovative universities by 2012 Computerworld Magazine. In 2015 it ranked 1st in the field of Environmental Engineering according to currently the most popular ranking sites in Poland, Perspektywy.
It ranked 577, in 2016 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, 254 in Europe and sixth in Poland.
The Technische Hochschule Breslau was founded in 1910 with German scientists and engineers, with the support of Emperor Wilhelm II of the German Empire. It was renowned for its accomplishments and innovation and inventions.
In May 1945, the Festung Breslau was overrun by the Red Army of the Soviet Union and the Technical University of Breslau along with the city was ceded to the People's Republic of Poland.
The Polish Wrocław University of Technology was founded 24 August 1945. A group of 27 professors, originating from the University and Technical University of Lwów, arrived in Wrocław and started the Polish academic society in the destroyed or severely damaged buildings of the Technische Hochschule Breslau. The first lecture was given by Kazimierz Idaszewski on 15 November 1945. Since then that day has been celebrated as Wrocław Science Day.
In 1951 the university was divided into two institutions. The first rector of the newly established Wrocław University of Technology was Dionizy Smoleński. From this moment, the polytechnic developed quickly and underwent numerous organisational changes.
Nowadays students of this university take part in several science programmes such as SSETI Program — developing communication systems and steering for a satellite launched 5 October 2005.
The university is one of the founder of the International University of Logistics and Transport In Wrocław, with the city of Wrocław and the French university École supérieure internationale de commerce in Metz.
Wroclaw University of Technology is managed by a rector and five vice-rectors: for research, education, students’ affairs, general affairs and development. Rectors and vice-rectors, as well as deans and directors of the departments are elected by the staff for five-year terms and may be re-elected once. The highest governing body within the university is the Senate, which consists of 75 members: rector, 5 vice-rectors, 12 deans, 12 students and 45 eligible staff representatives.
The university offers education in a diverse range of fields at 13 faculties:
1. Faculty of Architecture
Architecture and Urban Planning
Spatial Planning
2. Faculty of Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
3. Faculty of Chemistry
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Chemical and Process Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Chemical Technology
4. Faculty of Electronics
Control Engineering and Robotics
Electronics
Telecommunications
Computer Science
Teleinformatics
5. Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Control Engineering and Robotics
Electrical Engineering
Mechatronics
6. Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology
Mining and Geology
Geodesy and Cartography
7. Faculty of Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Protection
8. Faculty of Computer Science and Management
Computer Science
Management
Systems Engineering
9. Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering
Mechanical Engineering and Machine Building
Energy Engineering
10. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Control Engineering and Robotics
Mechanical Engineering
Transport
Production Engineering and Management
Mechatronics
Biomedical Engineering
11. Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology
Physics
Engineering physics
Computer Science
Biomedical Engineering
Optics
12. Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics
Electronics and Telecommunications
Mechatronics
13. Faculty of Mathematics
Mathematics
Applied mathematics
Rudolf Schenck (1910–1914)
Gerhard Hessenberg (1914–1916)
Carl Heinel (1916–1918)
Friedrich Wilhelm Semmler (1918–1920)
Ludwig Mann (1920–1924)
Werner Schmeidler (1924–1926)
Wilhelm Tafel (1926–1928)
Karl Gottwein (1928–1930)
Erich Waetzmann (1930–1932)
Bernhard Neumann (1932–1933)
Wilhelm Rein (1933–1937)
Erwin Ferber (1937–1944)
Heinrich Blecken (1944–1945)
Stanisław Kulczyński (1945–1951)
Dionizy Smoleński (1951–1960)
Zygmunt Szparkowski (1960–1969)
Tadeusz Porębski (1969–1980)
Bogusław Kędzia (1 XII 1980-31 VIII 1981)
Tadeusz Zipser (1 IX-29 XII 1981)
Jerzy Schroeder (6 I-31 VII 1982)
Wacław Kasprzak (1982–1984)
Jan Kmita (1984–1990)
Andrzej Wiszniewski (1990–1996)
Andrzej Mulak (1996–2002)
Tadeusz Luty (2002–2008)
Tadeusz Więckowski (2008–2016)
Cezary Madryas (2016-)
Students have their own self-government, which controls most of their affairs. At the university works also the Career Office which helps students in transition process from education to work.
Active organizations
ASI – University Computer Science Association
AZS – University Sport Association
AIESEC – International Association of the Economy and Commerce Students’
BEST – Board of European Students of Technology
ESN – Erasmus Student Network
IAESTE – The International Association for the Exchange of Students for the Technical Experience
IACES – International Association of Civil Engineering Students
NZS – Independent Students’ Union
AKM Apanonar – Academic Motors Club
Neisse University: 2001, in cooperation with the Technical University of Liberec in Czech Republic and the University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Goerlitz in Germany, the Neisse University was established. The academic network provides own study courses using the resources of the partner institutes. In that way students study in three countries and acquire intercultural and interdisciplinary knowledge and experiences.
Top Industrial Managers for Europe: The university participate to student mobility and research cooperations with European technology universities through the Top Industrial Managers for Europe (TIME) network.
Power Engineering Graduate Program – Double master's degree with Ryerson University
Joint Master-Program "Information Technology" with Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences, Halmstad University and Aalborg University.
Wroclaw Centre for Networking and Supercomputing
Networking and Supercomputing services for local universities
Wroclaw Centre for Technology Transfer
to increase the efficiency and the competitiveness of industry through innovation
Lower Silesia Centre for Advanced Technology
promotion of clean technologies, hydrogen and fuel cells, food safety
Centre of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology
GaN devices, delta-doped structures, scanning probe microscopy, polymers
Centre of Biomedical Engineering
Hugo Steinhaus Center
The goal of the Hugo Steinhaus Center is to organize, encourage and support research on and education in stochastic techniques as applied in science and technology
Centre of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (CAMT)
Center of Biomonitoring, Biotechnology and Ecosystems Protection in Lower Silesia
The 7th European Meeting coinciding with the 1st World Meeting in Visual and Physiological Optics, VPOptics 2014
Modern Electric Power Systems MEPS
International Conference "Experimental Vibration Analysis for Civil Engineering Structures" – EVACES
Energy Efficiency and Air Pollutants Control Conference
Notable faculty and alumni
Krzysztof Baranowski – yachtsman, sailor
Constantin Carathéodory – Greek mathematician
Klaus Clusius – physical chemist
Leszek Czarnecki – businessman, billionaire and world record holder in diving
Rafał Dutkiewicz – president of the City of Wrocław
Arnold Eucken – chemist
Erwin Fues – theoretical physicist
Wojciech Kurtyka – climber
Krystyn Jerzy Haich – architect, engineer, philanthropist
Jerzy Leszczyński – chemist received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Jan Paweł Nowacki – electrical engineer
Ferdinand Albin Pax – botanist and entomologist.
Ulrich Petersen (1907–1992), famous expert of iron technology
Eugen Piwowarsky – metallurgist
Wanda Rutkiewicz – one of the greatest woman mountaineers
Hugo Steinhaus – mathematician
Władysław Ślebodziński – mathematician
Czesław Ryll-Nardzewski – mathematician
Włodzimierz Trzebiatowski – physicist, chemist and mathematician
Stanisław Tołpa – botanist
Stanisław Trybuła – mathematician
Krzysztof Wielicki – mountaineer, the fifth man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders
Maja Włoszczowska – World Champion in mountain biking
