At the heights of Polish geology

The times of the loss of the Polish statehood in the 19th century to early 20th century did not favour the development of Polish geology. This development began in the interwar years, and it considerably accelerated after World War II as a result of both the Soviet concept to develop a huge heavy industry sector in Poland and the need to create an appropriate resource base. The funding for research and geological exploration was highly increased, and the period of great discoveries of raw materials commenced. Large academic centres of geology developed in Warsaw and Kraków, where excellent scientific schools were established around outstanding scientists. The leading ones included the Polish school of sedimentology and, more broadly, of geology, established by Professor Marian Książkiewicz (1906–1981) at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and the school of paleontology developed by Professor Roman Kozłowski (1889–1977) in Warsaw. Their achievements, despite the political isolation of Poland, quickly became well-known abroad and influenced the development of world science