The Emblem of the University of Warsaw. The History of the Emblem on the University's Seals in the Collections of the UW Museum (PDF)

This richly illustrated publication in English presents the history and symbolism of the emblem of the University of Warsaw. In the first part the author describes the circumstances of establishing the emblem in 1817, the ideological content expressed by the symbols considered at the time, the reasons for choosing the White Eagle as a key element of the emblem, its relations to the University seals and new signs of University identity existing after the abolition of the original emblem. The second part contains a study of an unrecognized sphragistic system of the University. The third part is a catalogue of seal matrices preserved in the University Museum.

The publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International PL (CC BY-SA 4.0 PL) (full license available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode).

See the Polish language version: Godło Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. Dzieje symbolu na pieczęciach uczelni ze zbiorów Muzeum UW »

Keywords: seal, seal matrix, emblem, University of Warsaw, White Eagle.

Krzysztof Mordyński – historian and art historian, graduate of the University of Warsaw, curator at the University of Warsaw Museum, doctor of humanities. He researches the history of the University of Warsaw and the history of architecture and urban planning in Warsaw. Author of historical exhibitions, catalogues, academic and popular articles (in Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, Muzealnictwo, Kronika Warszawy, Spotkania z Zabytkami). For his book Sny o Warszawie. Wizje przebudowy miasta 1945–1952 (Dreams of Warsaw. Visions of the City’s Reconstruction 1945–1952), he was awarded the KLIO 2021 prize by the History and Culture Foundation. Lecturer in postgraduate Varsovian Studies and extramural studies at the Faculty of History of the University of Warsaw.