Władysław Kretkowski (1840-1910)

Władysław Kretkowski was a mathematician and an engineer. He graduated École Imperiale des Ponts et Chauseés in Paris and also Sorbonne. He obtained PhD from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, he was a private docent at the Polytechnic and University in Lvov. The first chapter of the paper contains a short biography of Kretkowski, including information about his education and interests. The participation of Kretkowski in the January Uprising is described here as well. In the main Chapter, i.e. Chapter 2, mathematical achievements of Kretkowski in the theory of determinants and their applications in mathematical analysis and geometry is presented. The history of his academic career is also presented in this chapter. The last chapters are devoted to the mathematical contests announced by Kretkowski (especially the most famous one on the problem which is nowadays known as the Third Hubert Problem from 1900) and to the Dr Władysław Kretkowski Fundation.