Celebration of the 200th death anniversary of Stanisław Staszic

On January 20, 2026, under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw, a ceremony was held to lay flowers on the grave of Stanisław Staszic. It was attended by representatives of state and local government authorities, as well as Prof. Rafał Krenke, the Rector of our university, and Prof. Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel, the Head of the Chair and Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology at MUW and the president of the Warsaw Scientific Society (WSS), which initiated the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Staszic's death.

The ceremony was attended by: MP Dr. Piotr Głowski, Prof. Kazimierz Wiatr – a senator of the Republic of Poland, Aldona Machnowska-Góra – a deputy mayor of Warsaw, Beata Dudzińska – the mayor of Piła, Rafał Zdzierela – the head of the district of Piła, Marta Majewska – the mayor of Hrubieszów, Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski – the Rector of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, and Prof. Jan Słyk – the Vice Rector for Studies at the Warsaw University of Technology.

Stanisław Staszic – a scholar and reformer

Stanisław Staszic was one of the most outstanding representatives of the Polish Enlightenment, a statesman, philosopher, writer and publicist, social reformer, pioneer of cooperatives, geographer and geologist. He also funded the construction of many institutions still operating today, including the Infant Jesus Hospital, the Institute for the Deaf-Mute, the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases. However, being a Catholic priest, he did not exercise clerical service. 

2026 – the Year of Stanisław Staszic

On 26 September 2025, the 10th term Sejm unanimously adopted a resolution to establish the year 2026 as the Year of Stanisław Staszic. On the initiative of the Warsaw Scientific Society, in cooperation with Prof. Kazimierz Wiatr, the chairman of the Senate Science Committee, on January 21, 2026, the Polish Senate passed a commemorative resolution in memory of this great Pole.

The Warsaw Scientific Society initiated a celebration honoring Staszic by renovating his tombstone, which is located in the vicinity of the post-Camaldolese church in Bielany, Warsaw.
The Warsaw Scientific Society is the heir of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Science. Stanisław Staszic was one of its first presidents. The Society brings together a large group of representatives of our university. Apart from Prof. Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel (the President of WSS since 2023), the Faculty V of Medical Sciences of WSS includes the following members: Prof. Rafał Krenke, Prof. Michał Grąt, the Vice Rector for International Relations, Promotion and Development, Prof. Agnieszka Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska, the Vice Rector for Clinical Affairs and Investment, Prof. Paweł Włodarski, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (Secretary of the Faculty V of Medical Sciences of WSS, Prof. Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, the Vice Dean for Curriculum and Quality of Education of the Faculty of Medicine (the President of the Faculty V of Medical Sciences of WSS).