Dzieje techniki na łamach "Kwartalnika Historii Nauki i Techniki" (1956-2005)

A major influence on the shape of articles devoted to the history of technology published in "Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki", since its establishment in 1956 until the end of 1980s, was exerted by Prof. Eugeniusz Olszewski and Prof. Tadeusz M. Nowak. The former paid attention to the information value of the joumal and the latter was responsible for introducing the section " The state of research on the history of technology in Poland", as well as for the greater coverage of military history of technology in the quarterly. The main themes ofthe articles on the history oftechnology published in the quarterly included the following areas: the subject-matter and the research methods of the history of technology, the relation ofhistory of technology to other scientific disciplines, the characteristic features of the history of technology, biographies of eminent inventors, the contribution of Poles to the development ofworld technology, the state of research on the history of technology and the propects for its development. The articles presented in the quarterly were meant to lead to a synthesis of the history of technology in Poland, but this aim has never been fulfilled. The author of the current paper believes that in the coming years problems are likeIy to appear as far the search for materials on the history oftechnology is concemed, due to the fact that many research institutions dealing with the field have been closed or reduced; there are also fewer young researchers interested in the history of technology. It is therefore necessary to introduce radical changes, such as have been made in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where national museums of technology have been formed, in which activities concemed with exposition are combined with research.