The second edition of the biographical directory (Un)Famous Graduates of Lviv Polytechnic was presented thanks to the efforts of the researchers and specialists of our University. The study of the history of Lviv Polytechnic, its students and faculty is an important part of the process of preserving and understanding the academic heritage of our University. A thorough analysis of archival materials and many hours of careful work by scholars on each figure allow us to consider the history of Lviv Polytechnic not only as a typical component of the social and cultural heritage of its time, but also as a living history of the individuals whose activities left a significant mark on the scientific, cultural, social and political fields of Ukraine and Europe.
The structure of the biographical directory, intended for a wide range of readers, covers three main historical periods of Lviv Polytechnic: before the First World War, between the two World Wars and after the Second World War. Each section contains biographical information about the graduates and students who studied during a certain period.
– A lot has been written about the history of Lviv Polytechnic, the oldest higher technical education institution in Ukraine. These are mostly works that cover the institutional development of the university, says Rostyslav Melnyk, Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage, researcher of Polytechnic history. But recently, the focus of researchers’ attention has shifted to personalities – people who wrote unforgettable pages of Polytechnic’s history, shaped its identity and glorified our alma mater far beyond Lviv and our country. These are the University rectors of different periods, scientists, teachers and students. Obviously, this list would be incomplete without the alumni. Over the two centuries of Polytechnic’s existence, there have been tens of thousands of them. Many of them have reached remarkable heights in various spheres of public life. Their ups and downs are also the success story of Lviv Polytechnic, an integral part of its rich heritage, which is being updated and brought back (often from oblivion) to our generation of Polytechnicians through the efforts of the authors of the serial publication (Un)Famous Alumni of Lviv Polytechnic to strengthen the foundation for further achievements of our University and community.
The team of authors also included experts from the Department of Chemistry and Technology of Inorganic Substances and the Lviv Polytechnic Scientific and Technical Library. The team of researchers, holding regular weekly meetings, has collected and processed a significant array of facts and materials that allow us to dive deeper into the history of the academic community. The result of this hard work will be the publication of the third volume of the biographical directory, which once again shows how diverse and multifaceted the heritage of our University is.
