A memorial plaque on the building where she lived, an exhibition and a performance dedicated to her passion, ambition and research life – on the 120th anniversary of Prof. Wilhelmina Iwanowska's birth, the community of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, together with the residents of Toruń and the region, commemorated the outstanding astronomer.
The celebrations commemorating the first lady of Toruń astronomy were held on 2 September, exactly on the 120th anniversary of her birth. However, it should be emphasised that the entire year 2025 belongs to Prof. Wilhelmina Iwanowska in Toruń. In September 2024, the City Council unanimously decided that the eminent astronomer would be the patron of Toruń during this time.
- Had it not been for Professor Iwanowska, we would not have astronomy at the University of Toruń, and yet we are the city where Nicolaus Copernicus was born. Hence our eternal gratitude for her contribution to the creation of such an important scientific centre and for making Toruń famous," said Paweł Guleweski, Mayor of Toruń, during the anniversary celebrations. “By creating the university, people like Prof. Iwanowska created our city.".
The celebrations began with the laying of flowers on Prof. Iwanowska's grave at St. George's Cemetery on Gałczyńskiego Street. Then, the guests gathered at the entrance to the building at 20-22 Kraszewskiego Street, where Prof. Iwanowska lived from 1960 to 1999, where a memorial plaque dedicated to the astronomer was ceremoniously unveiled.
Professor Iwanowska embodied all the qualities and values that allowed our university to be created from nothing and then strengthened it despite difficulties and obstacles,' said dr habil. Joanna Kucharzewska, NCU Prof., Vice-Rector for Promotion and Cooperation with Social and Business Environment. “Prof. Iwanowska's student, dr Cecylia Iwaniszewska, who is with us today, dedicated one of her memories to her. She titled it 'She lived by faith and science'. This is a literal reference to Prof. Iwanowska's attitude. She believed that it was here, in Toruń, that a university could be created, because she saw the potential of the people and the potential of this place. She believed in the role of science in building society. Without such attitudes, we would not have a university today that is one of the ten best universities in Poland.
Prof. Kucharzewska emphasised that Prof. Iwanowska had remained actively interested in the development of astronomical research at the Nicolaus Copernicus University until the end of her life and retained her passion for the universe.
She was a great advocate of Nicolaus Copernicus' life and work, admiring his genius and scientific courage. She recalled that it was his figure that convinced her to settle in Toruń and start a new life here, noted Vice-Rector Kucharzewska.
The celebrations of the 120th anniversary of Prof. Wilhelmina Iwanowska's birth were organised by: the Centre for Copernican Studies, the Voivodeship Public Library Copernicus Library in Toruń and the Archives of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, and co-organised by the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship and the Municipality of Toruń. Among the guests were: Piotr Całbecki, Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship, Paweł Gulewski, Mayor of Toruń, Łukasz Walkusz, Chairman of the City Council, Prof. Joanna Kucharzewska, Vice-Rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University for Promotion and Cooperation with Social and Business Environment, and Jan Pruski, representative of Prof. Iwanowska's family. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the city council, the marshal's office and cultural and scientific institutions, the Polish Astronomical Society, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Centre for Education and Innovation in Toruń, the 'Planetarium Toruń' Centre for the Popularisation of Space, the Toruń Branch of the Polish Astronomical Society, the Institute of Astronomy at the NCU, the NCU Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, the journal 'Urania. Advances in Astronomy', the Aleksander Jabłoński Foundation and the Prof. Wilhelmina Iwanowska Primary School in Pigża.
Another highlight of the celebrations was the opening of the exhibition 'Prof. Wilhelmina Iwanowska 1905-1999. The First Lady of Polish Astronomy' at the Voivodeship Public Library – Copernicus Library. The exhibition consists of ten thematic displays documenting the most important stages in the life and scientific work of this outstanding astronomer. Each of the themes presented (childhood, studies in Vilnius, the beginnings of her research career, forced expatriation, teaching and research activities, the development of the Toruń astronomical centre, international achievements) is illustrated with materials from the Nicolaus Copernicus University Archives, where Prof. Iwanowska deposited her life's work. The exhibited documentation allows visitors to trace not only her impressive scientific achievements, but also a more personal, intimate picture of the scholar's biography – recorded in notes, photographs and extensive correspondence. The narrative of the displays is complemented by original archival materials collected in several display cases, including diplomas, manuscripts, notes, publications, letters and Prof. Iwanowska's personal items, such as skis, a toga and a calculating machine.
The anniversary celebrations are still ongoing. The next event is a musical monodrama based on Prof. Iwanowska's memories, performed by Maria Cynk-Mikołajewska. It can be seen at the Od Nowa Academic Centre for Culture and Arts on Tuesday and Wednesday (2nd and 3rd September) and on Sunday 14th September, starting at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Prof. Wilhelmina Iwanowska. Astronomer, professor, first Polish astrophysicist. In 1945, after World War II, she arrived in Toruń with a group of researchers from Stefan Batory University in Vilnius and actively participated in the creation of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. She was its first professor, and in 1946 she took over the newly established Department of Astrophysics. She specialised in astrometry and photometry, and her research work had a huge impact on the development of Polish astronomy. Together with Professors Władysław Dziewulski and Konrad Szeligowski, she began the construction of an astronomical observatory in Piwnice near Toruń – today one of the most important research facilities in the country. She was valued not only as an outstanding scientist, but also as a charismatic lecturer, supervisor of several doctoral theses and mentor to generations of astronomers. Associated with Toruń for most of her life, she contributed to establishing its position as an important scientific centre.
