Adam Wolff – Archivist of the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw (1924–1954) and His Contributions to the Research on the Middle Ages in Poland

Adam Wolff (1899–1984) was an eminent archivist, expert on the history of Mazovia and Warsaw city, the editor of the late medieval written sources. From 1924 to 1954 he worked at the Central Archives of Historical Records. The archival works of Wolff were closely connected with his ongoing scientific research that focused on the preparation of a list of officials of the Duchy of Mazovia and the study on the Mazovian Register. Before World War II he also developed a register of parchment documents of The Krasiński Library and published Mazowieckie zapiski herbowe z XV i XVI w. [The Mazovian Heraldic Notes from 15th–16th c.] Particularly noteworthy is his work (published in 1929) devoted to the Mazovian Register. After World War II, Wolff worked at The Central Archives of Historical Records as a Head of the Department of the Old Polish Records, and in 1949 he was appointed Professor at the Warsaw University. During his 30–year–old career in The Central Archives of Historical Records he took part in the preparation of guidelines on the elaboration of documents in the Polish archives and dictionary entries to the Polish Archival Dictionary. At that time he also worked on the edition of Księga radziecka miasta Starej Warszawy z lat 1447–1527 [A Register of the Court of the City Council of the Old Warsaw City 1447-1527], and prepared Projekt instrukcji wydawniczej dla pisanych źródeł historycznych do połowy XVI w. [Project of a publishing instruction for written historical sources created up to the mid–16th century]. 1950 together with Prof. K. Kuraszkiewicz he published valuable notes and the Polish troops oaths of loyalty of 15th and 16th c. from the books of the land court in Warsaw city. In addition to the scientific and archival work, Wolff conducted classes at the Historical Institute of the Warsaw University. In 1954 he moved to work at the Institute of History of Material Culture, Polish Academy of Sciences, and became Head of the Editing Department