Jan Zachwatowicz was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

, architectural historian

Architectural History

Architectural History is the main journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain .The journal is published each autumn. The architecture of the British Isles is a major theme of the journal, although it includes more general papers on the history of architecture. Member of...

, and restorer.

Biography

Zachwatowicz studied Industrial Civil Engineering at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University

Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University

Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University is a major Russian technical university situated in Saint Petersburg. Previously it was known as the Peter the Great Polytechnical Institute and Kalinin Polytechnical Institute .-Imperial Russia:...

, and graduated from the School of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology

Warsaw University of Technology

The Warsaw University of Technology is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland, and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors . The student body numbers 36,156 , mostly full-time. There are 17 faculties covering almost all fields of...

 in 1930. He was awarded with the Honorary Award by SARP (1971; ).

He was a professor of the Warsaw University of Technology (since 1946; he worked there since 1925), member of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Polish Academy of Sciences

The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...

 (since 1952), member of the Académie d'architecture

Académie d'architecture

The Académie royale d'architecture was a French learned society founded on December 30, 1671 by Louis XIV, king of France under the impulsion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert...

 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 (since 1967), member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites

International Council on Monuments and Sites

The International Council on Monuments and Sites is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world...

, general restorer of relics in Poland (from 1945 to 1957; ), chairman of the Architectural-Restoration Committee (since 1971; ), and chairman of the Civil Committee of Royal Castle in Warsaw

Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle residency and was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from...

 Reconstruction .

Zachwatowicz contributed to reorganization and enlargement of Polish restoration service. During the occupation of Poland (1939–1945) he took a part of teaching, protecting and saving works, i.e. set of relic buildings measurements (including The Market Square of Warsaw Old Town

Warsaw Old Town

Warsaw's Old Town is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw's most prominent tourist attractions....

). From January 1945 he co-directed the Warsaw Reconstruction Office .

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, many other historic buildings in Gdańsk

Gdansk

Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

, Poznań

Poznan

Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

, and Wrocław were restored or rebuilt according to principles established by Zachwatowicz and his team. Among his many achievements was the rebuilding of St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw

St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw

St. John's Archcathedral in Warsaw is a Catholic church in Warsaw's Old Town, is the only one archcathedral in Warszawa, the other 3 are cathedrals in the Polish capital. St. John's stands immediately adjacent to Warsaw's Jesuit church, and is one of the oldest churches in the city and the main...

 (1960).

He was a scholar with over 200 major publications to his credit.

He was the father of Krystyna

Krystyna Zachwatowicz

Krystyna Zachwatowicz-Wajda , born Krystyna Zachwatowicz, is a Polish scenographer, costume designer and actress. She is a daughter of architect and restorer Jan Zachwatowicz and Maria Chodźko h. Kościesza, and wife of film director Andrzej Wajda. Member of the Polish Film Academy. She is a...

and Katarzyna Zachwatowicz.

Selected works

• Ochrona Zabytków w Polsce (1965)
• Architektura polska (1966)
• Sztuka polska przedromańska i romańska do schyłku XIII wieku (1971; collective work)
• Zamek Królewski w Warszawie (1972)