Wiktor Zin
Encyclopedia
Wiktor Zin - Polish
architect, graphic artist, professor, architectural preservationist, cultural activist, and promoter of Polish history and culture.
. In 1952 he received his doctorate
, with further advancement in his professorial degrees in 1959, 1967, and 1979.
He first worked as a teacher's assistant and adjunct
at Kraków's Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza (through 1949), and later at the Cracow University of Technology
as an adjunct
(1954–1959), a docent
(1959–1967), and finally as a full-fledged professor
, 1967 onwards. Between the years of 1962-1967 he was the dean
of the Faculty of Architecture there. From 1962 he headed The Institute of Architectural History and Landmark Conservation.
Alongside his academic work he was involved in events benefitting the city as well as architecture and landmark
conservation all over Poland. He was the general architect of Kraków between (1958–64), the director of Studies on the Old City Complex (1960–1975), the head of the Cracovian Conservation Commission (1970–1978), as well as the president and vice-president of the Admirers of the History and Landmarks of Kraków.
In the years 1977-1981 he was the General Landmark Conservator as a part of the Ministry of Culture and Art in the rank of vice-minister. Between 1978-1983 he was the head of the interministerial Commission on the Conservation of Landmark Municipal Complexes. During the 1980s he was a lecturer at the University of Zagreb
. A member of the Board of Polish Architects, the Society for the Protection of Landmarks in Poland he was the chairman of its board between1975–1983. Professor Zin was also a member of the Mexican Academy of Architecture. On January 28, 1998, the Cracow University of Technology
awarded him an honorary doctorate.
Professor Wiktor Zin is most well known in Poland as the host of the Polish TV series "Piórkiem i węglem" (With Pen and Charcoal). He was also featured in "Klub pod Smokiem" (Club Under the Dragon), "Szperacze" (The Seekers), "Spotkanie z zabytkami" (A Meeting with Landmarks), "Dźwięk i linia" (The Sound and Line), "Być tutaj" (To Be Here), "Nad Niemnem, Piną i Prypecią" (On the Niemen, Piną and Prypeć Rivers) "Spotkanie z prof. Zinem" (Meetings with Professor Zin), "Sztuka patrzenia"(The Art of Looking), "Nasze korzenie" (Our Roots), as well as "Opowieści domu rodzinnego" (Tales of the Family Home). He also hosted radio programs among them "Półgłosem i ciszą" (Half-silent and Quiet) in Radio Bis.
He also designed a number of sets for a number of plays and operas, as well as the author of a number of paintings. Professor Zin also wrote articles for numerous publications both scholarly as well as for the general public.
Towards the end of his life he occupied the position of the Protector of the European Academy of Art in Warsaw
, the director of the Polish Board of Urban and Architectural Landmark Conservation at the Cracow University of Technology
, the Director of the chair of Art History and Culture at the Higher School of Information Science and Management in Rzeszów, a lecturer at Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza in Cracow as well as the chancellor of the awards council for the medal "Polonia Mater Nostra est".
Professor Zin was active until the end of his life - he died suddenly, a few minutes before eight o'clock as he was preparing for class with students at the Higher School of Information Science and Management in Rzeszów.
The Professor left behind his wife Aleksandra, with whom he had a son Szymon as well as a daughter, Monika.
in Cracow. The funeral mass was held earlier in the day at 11:00 am at St. Mary's Basilica in Cracow
where 24 clergymen took part. After the Eucharist the coffin with Professor Zin's body left the basilica in the accompaniment of a traditional Góral
ensemble. At 1:00 pm kondukt the funeral march led by the Metropolitan of Cracow Stanisław Dziwisz as well as Cardinal Franciszek Macharski left the funeral gates of the cemetery for the place of final interment. Eulogies were given by friends, colleagues, former students, the vice-minister of culture and national heritage as well as representatives of the city of Cracow, Hrubieszów and the voivodship of Lesser Poland. The lowering of the coffin into the ground was accompanied by the music of a traditional Góral
funeral ensemble as well as two trumpeters who played the works Hejnal, Barka and "Va Pensiero" from the opera Nabucco
by Giuseppe Verdi
. The gravestone was covered by literally hundreds of wreaths and wildflowers which Professor Zin was so well known for adoring.
(Opera Wrocławska as well as Opera Bałtycka), The Duchess (Opera Bałtycka and the Tokyo Opera), Othello
(The Grand Theater in Łódź), Dames and Hussars (The Grand Theater in Warsaw
), Rigoletto (in Cracow) as well as others.
During the early 1980s as a vice-minister of Culture and Art he signed an agreement to return by April 1982 all of the exhibits brought to the National Museum in Warsaw
after World War II from Gdańsk
. The timetable was interrupted by the institution of Martial Law in December 1981, and the first exhibits were not returned until 1985 although many of them remain in Warsaw
.
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, graphic artist, professor, architectural preservationist, cultural activist, and promoter of Polish history and culture.
Biography
Zin finished architectural studies at Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza in KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. In 1952 he received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
, with further advancement in his professorial degrees in 1959, 1967, and 1979.
He first worked as a teacher's assistant and adjunct
Adjunct
Adjunct may refer to:* Adjunct , words used as modifiers* Adjunct professor, a professor who does not hold a permanent position at a particular academic institution* Adjuncts, sources of sugar used in brewing...
at Kraków's Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza (through 1949), and later at the Cracow University of Technology
Cracow University of Technology
Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology is a university located in downtown Kraków, Poland, established in 1946 and, as an institution of higher learning granted full autonomy in 1954....
as an adjunct
Adjunct
Adjunct may refer to:* Adjunct , words used as modifiers* Adjunct professor, a professor who does not hold a permanent position at a particular academic institution* Adjuncts, sources of sugar used in brewing...
(1954–1959), a docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
(1959–1967), and finally as a full-fledged professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, 1967 onwards. Between the years of 1962-1967 he was the dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Faculty of Architecture there. From 1962 he headed The Institute of Architectural History and Landmark Conservation.
Alongside his academic work he was involved in events benefitting the city as well as architecture and landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
conservation all over Poland. He was the general architect of Kraków between (1958–64), the director of Studies on the Old City Complex (1960–1975), the head of the Cracovian Conservation Commission (1970–1978), as well as the president and vice-president of the Admirers of the History and Landmarks of Kraków.
In the years 1977-1981 he was the General Landmark Conservator as a part of the Ministry of Culture and Art in the rank of vice-minister. Between 1978-1983 he was the head of the interministerial Commission on the Conservation of Landmark Municipal Complexes. During the 1980s he was a lecturer at the University of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. A member of the Board of Polish Architects, the Society for the Protection of Landmarks in Poland he was the chairman of its board between1975–1983. Professor Zin was also a member of the Mexican Academy of Architecture. On January 28, 1998, the Cracow University of Technology
Cracow University of Technology
Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology is a university located in downtown Kraków, Poland, established in 1946 and, as an institution of higher learning granted full autonomy in 1954....
awarded him an honorary doctorate.
Professor Wiktor Zin is most well known in Poland as the host of the Polish TV series "Piórkiem i węglem" (With Pen and Charcoal). He was also featured in "Klub pod Smokiem" (Club Under the Dragon), "Szperacze" (The Seekers), "Spotkanie z zabytkami" (A Meeting with Landmarks), "Dźwięk i linia" (The Sound and Line), "Być tutaj" (To Be Here), "Nad Niemnem, Piną i Prypecią" (On the Niemen, Piną and Prypeć Rivers) "Spotkanie z prof. Zinem" (Meetings with Professor Zin), "Sztuka patrzenia"(The Art of Looking), "Nasze korzenie" (Our Roots), as well as "Opowieści domu rodzinnego" (Tales of the Family Home). He also hosted radio programs among them "Półgłosem i ciszą" (Half-silent and Quiet) in Radio Bis.
He also designed a number of sets for a number of plays and operas, as well as the author of a number of paintings. Professor Zin also wrote articles for numerous publications both scholarly as well as for the general public.
Towards the end of his life he occupied the position of the Protector of the European Academy of Art in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, the director of the Polish Board of Urban and Architectural Landmark Conservation at the Cracow University of Technology
Cracow University of Technology
Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology is a university located in downtown Kraków, Poland, established in 1946 and, as an institution of higher learning granted full autonomy in 1954....
, the Director of the chair of Art History and Culture at the Higher School of Information Science and Management in Rzeszów, a lecturer at Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza in Cracow as well as the chancellor of the awards council for the medal "Polonia Mater Nostra est".
Professor Zin was active until the end of his life - he died suddenly, a few minutes before eight o'clock as he was preparing for class with students at the Higher School of Information Science and Management in Rzeszów.
The Professor left behind his wife Aleksandra, with whom he had a son Szymon as well as a daughter, Monika.
Funeral
Wiktor Zin's funeral took place on May 23, 2007 at the Rakowicki CemeteryRakowicki Cemetery
Rakowicki Cemetery is one of the best known cemeteries of Poland, located in the centre of Kraków. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 Stare Miasto meaning "Old Town" – not to be confused with the historic Kraków Old Town further west...
in Cracow. The funeral mass was held earlier in the day at 11:00 am at St. Mary's Basilica in Cracow
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
St. Mary's Basilica , is a Brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century , adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland...
where 24 clergymen took part. After the Eucharist the coffin with Professor Zin's body left the basilica in the accompaniment of a traditional Góral
Goral
Goral may refer to:* Three species of Asian ungulates in the genus Naemorhedus.* The Gorals, a people living in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and the Czech Republic....
ensemble. At 1:00 pm kondukt the funeral march led by the Metropolitan of Cracow Stanisław Dziwisz as well as Cardinal Franciszek Macharski left the funeral gates of the cemetery for the place of final interment. Eulogies were given by friends, colleagues, former students, the vice-minister of culture and national heritage as well as representatives of the city of Cracow, Hrubieszów and the voivodship of Lesser Poland. The lowering of the coffin into the ground was accompanied by the music of a traditional Góral
Goral
Goral may refer to:* Three species of Asian ungulates in the genus Naemorhedus.* The Gorals, a people living in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and the Czech Republic....
funeral ensemble as well as two trumpeters who played the works Hejnal, Barka and "Va Pensiero" from the opera Nabucco
Nabucco
Nabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the Biblical story and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue...
by Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
. The gravestone was covered by literally hundreds of wreaths and wildflowers which Professor Zin was so well known for adoring.
Academic works
Author of around 50 scholarly studies and books, among the more important of which are:- „Geneza, rozwój i typy attyki polskiej" (doctoral thesis 1952)
- „Kościoły Lubelszczyzny na przykładzie badań kościoła w Uchaniach" 1956
- „Słownik krajobrazu polskiego"
- redaktor III-tomowego dzieła „Konserwacja zabytków w Polsce",
- „Artykuły i rozprawy dotyczące wczesnośredniowiecznego Krakowa" (1965)
- monografia Nowego TarguNowy TargNowy Targ is a town in southern Poland with 34,000 inhabitants , and the historical capital of the mountain region . The town is situated in the confluence of the rivers Biały and Czarny Dunajec, in a valley beneath the Gorce Mountains. It's in Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship...
i Willi Decjusza na Woli Justowskiej w Krakowie
Architectural projects
Around 50 designs for churches as well as their interiors, both in his native Poland and abroad as well as:- the project of excavating and restoring the medieval cellars discovered beneath Cracow's historic town hall tower.
- Design for the conservation of the Myszkowski chapel and Boner's attics in Cracow.
- Design and oversight of the renovation of the main square in Cracow.
- Design and oversight of conservation work on the Arsenal and the ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
quarter in ZamośćZamoscZamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
. - Design and oversight over reconstruction work on the cities of OpatówOpatówOpatów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Opatów County. Its population is 7,833 .Tourist attractions include a 12th century Collegiate Church of St...
and Chełm. - Design and oversight over the gate of Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
as well as the rebuilding of the organs in the Miraculous chapel on Jasna Góra in CzęstochowaCzestochowaCzęstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship... - Design for the architectural restoration of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Cracow
- Design of the Wyspiański Museum in Cracow (the so-called „blue studio")
- Design and oversight over the rebuilding of Matejko Plaza in conjunction with the placement of the Grunwald monument
- Design for the chapel of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Sterling Heights, MichiganSterling Heights, MichiganSterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
. - Reconstruction work on the cathedral of QuitoQuitoSan Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
in EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. - Architectural planArchitectural planAn architectural plan is a plan for architecture, and the documentation of written and graphic descriptions of the architectural elements of a building project including sketches, drawings and details.- Overview :...
s of the church of St. Barbara in StaszówStaszówStaszów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodship, about 54 km southeast of Kielce. It is the capital of Staszów County. Population is 15,108 .- Demography :...
. - Design for the renovation of St. Casimir's chapel in RadomRadomRadom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
iu as well as the interior design of the local Jesuit church - Stained glass designs in the- Minor BasilicaMinor basilicaMinor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
of St. Vincent DePaul in Bydgoszcz - Author of the Sculpture of Our Lady, Queen of Emigrants at Holy Trinity Polish MissionHoly Trinity Polish MissionHoly Trinity Church - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It is a prime example of the so-called 'Polish Cathedral style' of churches, in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with such monumental religious edifices as St. Mary of the Angels, St. Hedwig's or St...
in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Set design
Stage design for The Haunted ManorThe Haunted Manor
The Haunted Manor is an opera in four acts composed by Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko in 1861–1864. The libretto was written by Jan Chęciński...
(Opera Wrocławska as well as Opera Bałtycka), The Duchess (Opera Bałtycka and the Tokyo Opera), Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
(The Grand Theater in Łódź), Dames and Hussars (The Grand Theater in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), Rigoletto (in Cracow) as well as others.
Books
- Piękno nie dostrzegane, Wydawnictwo Arkady 1970 r. (cykl Piórkiem i węglem)
- Piękno potężne, Wydawnictwo Arkady 1972 r. (cykl Piórkiem i węglem)
- Piękno utracone, Wydawnictwo Arkady 1974 r. (cykl Piórkiem i węglem)
- Półgłosem i ciszą, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1998, ISBN 83-06-02650-0
- Opowiadania najkrótsze o ludziach nader różnych, WZ-Film, 2004, ISBN 83-920951-0-3
- Opowieści o polskich kapliczkach. Piórkiem i węglem, Fundacja dla UJ, 2004, ISBN 83-920951-1-1
- Krajobrazy Podkarpacia, WSIiZ, 2004, ISBN 8387658456
- Narodziny krajobrazu kulturowego, WSIiZ, 2005, ISBN 8387658774
Awards and medals
- Bronze, Silver, and Gold Polish Cross of Merit (from 1950)
- Cavalier Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland (Polonia RestitutaPolonia RestitutaThe Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
) - Officer's Cross of the Order Polonia RestitutaPolonia RestitutaThe Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
- Commander's Cross of the Order Polonia RestitutaPolonia RestitutaThe Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
- Commander's Cross with a star (Grand Officer of Polonia RestitutaPolonia RestitutaThe Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
, (1998) - Medal of the National Education Commission
- The "Golden Screen" for television personality (1975, 1980)
- Medal of the Mexican Academy of Sciences for his life's work in conservation.
- The European Von Herder Award for conservation and architectural studies (1979)
- Gold Medal Gloria Artis (2006)
- Honorary Doctorate of the Kraków Polytechnic (1998)
- Honorary Doctorate of the Technical University in BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
(1998)
During the early 1980s as a vice-minister of Culture and Art he signed an agreement to return by April 1982 all of the exhibits brought to the National Museum in Warsaw
National Museum in Warsaw
The National Museum in Warsaw , Poland, is a national institution of culture, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in Warsaw. It comprise a rich collection of ancient art , counting about 11.000 pieces, an extensive gallery of Polish painting since the 16th century and a collection...
after World War II from 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...
. The timetable was interrupted by the institution of Martial Law in December 1981, and the first exhibits were not returned until 1985 although many of them remain in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.