Władysław Szafer (1886-1970) : the classic of Polish botany

Władysław Szafer - phytogeographer, palaeobotanist, and historian of botany, is one of the most celebrated Polish naturalist. He was among the founders of Polish Botanical Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Botaniczne - PTB) (1922), and became its honorary member. His fame was amplified not only by scientific achievements, but also by his wide social activities, popular books, textbooks, and lectures attracting large crowds. He was recognised internationally as one of the fathers of European movement for the protection of nature - obtained honorary doctorates from three universities, and honorary membership of the IUCN. W. Szafer studied at the University of Vienna, specialising in botany under direction of a known taxonomist, Richard Wettstein (1863-1931). Then he continued studies at the University of Lemberg (Lwów) attracted there by fame surrounding Marian Raciborski (1863-1917), the researcher of the flora of Poland and Java island in Indonesia. Later Szafer worked as a Professor of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and the director of Botanic Garden, and the Botanical Institute. He held these positions for almost four decades (1917-1941, 1945-1960) becoming the classic of the botany of Poland. In 1953, the Department of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences was established, headed by him (in 1986 renamed into the W. Szafer Institute of Botany PAS). In 1952, Professor Szafer organised the Department of Nature Conservation PAS, later transformed into the Institute. A brilliant scholar, authored more than 700 publications, over hundred of them scientific pertaining to: phytogeography, palaeobotany, nature protection, the history of botany, and other fields of biology. He was editor, and co-author of the collective works concerning the flora of Poland: 'Polish flora' (Flora polska), 'The vegetation of Poland' (Szata roślinna Polski), and 'Polish plants’ (Rośliny polskie) together with Stanisław Kulczyński and Bogumił Pawłowski. Owing to his efforts, the phytosociological studies began in Poland in 1923, applying the methodology of French-Swiss school of Josias Braun Blanquet (1884-1980). In 1925 (ed. 1926), the first Polish paper (by Bronisław Szafran) was published, using the method of pollen analysis developed in 1916 by a Swedish geologist Lennart von Post (1884-1951). The isopollen method, first applied by W. Szafer in 1935, has been used by palaeobotanists till the present. The 'school', a group of his scientific disciples (so-called Cracow geobotanical school) later employed in various universities and nature protection services (where now Professor Szafer’s 'grandchildren' and 'great-grandchildren' are active) is an important element of his legacy. His publications are still cited, and the thoughts, and ideas contained in them have not lost their currency.