Prof. J. Purchla Awarded the Title of Honorary Professor at the Krakow University of Economics

On 28 May 2026, Prof. Jacek Purchla was honoured with the title of Honorary Professor at the Krakow University of Economics. The ceremonial conferral of the title took place on the 101st anniversary of the university’s founding.  

Professor Jacek Purchla has been associated with the Krakow University of Economics for many years – first as a student and later as a lecturer at the university. From 2008 to 2024, he headed the Department of Economic and Social History. During this period, he upheld the tradition and continued the main research strands initiated by the Department’s founding members, expanding them to include the economics of culture and cultural heritage management, whilst also developing international cooperation within the UNITWIN/UNESCO network.

During the celebrations marking the 101st anniversary of the University’s founding, ceremonial speeches were delivered, including one by His Magnificence the Rector, Dr Bernard Ziębicki, Professor at the Krakow University of Economics (UEK), and postdoctoral and doctoral degrees were conferred, with medals and the “UEK Community” statuette being presented. Professor Purchla was recognised for his tireless enthusiasm for art, architecture and cultural heritage, as well as his active work towards its protection and promotion. His extensive academic achievements were also highlighted, particularly in the fields of urban development, social history, 19th- and 20th-century art history, and the theory and conservation of cultural heritage. His Magnificence the Rector, Dr Bernard Ziębicki, Professor at the Krakow University of Economics, spoke of Professor Jacek Purchla’s exceptional contributions to Polish science and culture:

– The conferral of the title of Honorary Professor of the University of Economics in Kraków upon Professor Jacek Purchla is a special occasion for our academic community. Today we honour a scholar of international standing, whose academic achievements, public engagement and steadfast commitment to the protection of cultural heritage have for decades shaped the way we think about culture, the city and responsibility for the common good – said Prof. Ziębicki.

He added that Professor Jacek Purchla is among the most distinguished European researchers in the fields of cultural heritage and urban studies, and for years has combined academic reflection with public engagement, building lasting bridges between science, culture and the institutions of social life.

Laudatory speeches in honour of Professor Purchla

During the ceremony, three laudatory speeches were delivered, dedicated to the Honorary Professor’s academic, organisational and social activities. The first to speak was Prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska, who highlighted Prof. Jacek Purchla’s immense contribution to the development of research into art history and cultural heritage, as well as his long-standing commitment to the preservation of Kraków’s monuments and cultural landscape:

– Professor Jacek Purchla, having passed his A-levels at the Nowodworski Secondary School in Kraków, first graduated from the University of Economics. However, he did not stop at a single discipline – he chose the humanities as his second field and undertook studies in art history at the Jagiellonian University. This choice alone speaks volumes about his subsequent academic path. From the very beginning, it was a path of combining perspectives: economic and humanistic, historical and social, urban and cultural.

Further laudatory speeches were delivered by Prof. Jacek Popiel and Prof. Waldemar Łazuga. The speakers highlighted the laureate’s academic authority, his public engagement and his significance for the development of Polish humanities and academic collaboration. They also referred to the immense role played by Prof. Jacek Purchla in the development of Kraków:

– It is hard to imagine a more heroic period in the history of local government than the early 1990s. The fact that Jacek Purchla appeared on the Kraków scene at that time was a stroke of great luck. Among those laying the foundations of local government was a man who – whilst studying the city as a social environment – saw it simultaneously as a work of art and a place of constant cultural creation – emphasised Prof. Jacek Popiel.

The third of the laudators, Prof. Waldemar Łazuga, referred to his personal friendship with Prof. Purchla:

– After these two speeches, I realise there is only one thing I can talk about: friendship. In Poland, no one awards anyone any honours for friendship, though perhaps they should. I want to tell you about this friendship as briefly as possible, but also as sincerely as possible. Because it doesn’t happen very often, and actually, I think to myself that it is one of the great mysteries of our lives. Where is that extra something that makes the difference between a good acquaintance, great camaraderie and friendship? – pondered Prof. Waldemar Łazuga. – I gain a great deal from our friendship. I often find myself looking at Kraków through his eyes – he added.

Work in support of heritage

The professor is an art historian and economist, a recognised expert in the field of cultural heritage and the history and development of cities, as well as the author of over 600 academic publications, translated into many languages. He is an active member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served as Chair of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO (2015–2020) and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2016–2017). In 1991, he founded the International Cultural Centre in Kraków and served as its director for over a quarter of a century – he currently holds the position of the Director’s Plenipotentiary for Scientific Affairs. He is the initiator and scientific editor of the ICC’s Library of Central Europe series and the founder of the quarterly journal “Herito”, of which he was editor-in-chief until 2025. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Lviv Polytechnic National University.

Professor Purchla is a member of numerous organisations and associations, including the Comité international d’histoire de l’art (full member) and the Team for Poland’s Membership of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage for the 2025–2029 term. From 2000 to 2016, he chaired the Council for the Protection of Monuments under the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. He also served as President of the Society of Friends of Kraków History and Heritage and as editor-in-chief of the “Rocznik Krakowski”. In 2018, he was elected Vice-President of Europa Nostra and chairs the Jury of the Cultural Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards.

Cooperation between the UEK and the ICC

Thanks to the efforts of Prof. Jacek Purchla, the International Cultural Centre (ICC) cooperates with the Krakow University of Economics (UEK) within the framework of the Heritage Academy. This is a joint project of both institutions, which was launched in 2001 on the initiative of Professors Jacek Purchla and Jerzy Hausner. The ICC and the Krakow University of Economics established Poland’s first postgraduate programme dedicated to cultural heritage, combining topics in management, law and administration, marketing and art history.

Professor Jacek Purchla has received numerous accolades and honours for his cultural and social work. He has been recognised both in Poland and abroad. Among other distinctions, he has been awarded the Commander’s, Officer’s, and Knight’s Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta, The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, the Gold Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, the Order of Merit (Norway), and the Order of Leopold (Belgium).

The title of Honorary Professor of the Krakow University of Economics is one of the most prestigious honours in the university’s history, awarded for outstanding academic achievements, contributions to the development of disciplines and social engagement.

We warmly congratulate the Professor and thank him for his many years of work in support of cultural heritage and the advancement of research in this field.