The Institutes of Agriculture are a complex of historic buildings in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Today they belong to city public administration, focused since their erection to teaching and research. They are located in the area delineated by Ossoliński Alley, Powstańców Wielkopolskich Alley, and Karol Szymanowski Street. The ensemble dates back from the early 20th century and is registered since 1992 on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.
Location The architectural group of buildings, located in the eastern part of downtown Bydgoszcz, covers an area of 7.5hectares. In the 2010s, two recent edifices have been added in the east of the area: The Plant Breeding and Aclimatization Institute – National Research Institute (); The main library of the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz.
Originally, the plot was divided into two parts: on the west were buildings of the institute, on the east the 5ha sector was devoted to field and research vegetation, with ancillary buildings (livestock shelters, greenhouses and a barn).
The main building stands on Weyssenhoff Square, at the eastern tip of Adam Mickiewicz Alley. One institute building and two houses are located on the eastern side of Ossoliński Alley and two other buildings stand on the southern frontage of Powstańców Wielkopolskich Alley. The grand St. Vincent de Paul Basilica Minor covers the southern flank of the sector. Streets surrounding the architectural ensemble have been delineated shortly before the construction of the institute.
History Prussian period
The establishment of agricultural institutes in Bydgoszcz stems from long-lasting efforts to create a university in the city. First steps were taken in 1873 while celebrating the 100th anniversary of Netze District joining Kingdom of Prussia: a municipal petition was then sent to the government in Berlin supporting the creation of a higher education facility, but the idea did not prevail, mainly because of the low number of high school graduates in Bromberg. Another request was proffered in 1886, still with no avail.
Appeals to the Prussian government succeeded on August 26, 1902, as this time the petition was supported by the governmental program aiming at bolstering the economy of the eastern lands of German Empire. As consequences of this policy, Prussian authorities decided to create universities in Gdańsk and Poznań, while Bromberg was targeted for hosting a research centre in agricultural production, since the city was located in a highly agriculturally developed area (Kujawy, Krajna, Pałuki, Chełmno Land). Such institutes already existed in other higher faculties, such as in Königsberg, Wrocław and Berlin, but they were too far away to carry out proper research in relationship with the agriculture in the area of Poznań and Pomerania. The scientific program of the institution was inspired from the one operating in the Institute of Berlin. The official approval from the government of Prussia to establish an Agricultural Institute in Bromberg was made in October 1902. The same year was decided to build a complex of edifices, in the one hand to promote research works, in the other hand to carry out professional training of farmers practitioners, teachers and to host administrative staff.
In the same year they are taken to the decision to build a complex of buildings for institutes and imposed their task research of practical. November 15, 1902 conference was held with the participation of Commissioners of Public Works and the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture, on the organizational matters related to the establishment of the institute. The city authorities Bydgoszcz pledged to give up the construction of the facility area at the contemporary north-eastern edge of the town and there pave new streets – Hohenzollernstrasse and Bülow Platz (today al. Ossolińskich and square Weyssenhoff). The city has also bringing water and gas and, in the near future, the transfer of assets for experimental purposes.
The initial blueprint was designed in 1903 by construction engineer Herman Delius. He designed three buildings, serving as scientific institutes: The main building for the Institute of Plant Pathology and Technical Melioration (); The building of the Institute of Animal Hygiene (); The building of the Institute of Chemical and Bacteriological Agriculture (). In the vicinity of these institutes were auxiliary buildings: two stables, two greenhouses, a barn and three habitation houses.
Construction started in April 1903, and was completed by spring of 1906. Institutes official opening took place on June 11, 1906, but its activity kicked off as early as July 1, 1904, when dr. Gerlachowi, from the Agricultural Experimental Station in Poznań took charge of the institution. The original name of the institute, Landwirtschaftliche Versuchs und Forschunganstallten (Agricultural testing and research facilities), was changed in September 1906 to Kaiser Wilhelm Institut für Landwirtschaft zu Bromberg: it kept this naming till the end of World War I.
The facility was associated with the scientific society Kaiser-Wilhelm Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften (Kaiser-Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science). A board of trustees comprising farmers, representatives of the region of Poznań and Bromberg, and the director of the institute, had direct control on the institution and linked with the provincial authorities and with other agricultural bodies. This board was chaired by the president of the region of Bromberg.
Under the terms of the reference of the institute, research, experimental, scientific, and consulting tasks were distributed among four departments: Agricultural chemistry, Bacteriology and farming seeds; Melioration of agrotechnics; Plant pathology; Veterinary medicine. Systematic research began in 1906, and in 1908, the first volume of publications presenting results was issued. In the following years, four to six issues were published annually, under the title Mittelungen des Kaiser Wilhelms Institut für Landwirtschaft zu Bromberg (Information from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Agriculture in Bromberg). The most important scientific achievements from Bromberg institutes were: identifying a potato virus; aphids disease on peach tree; fight against bovine tuberculosis; fields irrigation and fertilization impact on harvesting. In 1912, the agricultural chemistry branch set up an experimental farm in Mochle near Bydgoszcz, to conduct extensive research on nutrition and plant and animal development in natural conditions. Another experimental farm in Pęchowo was worked out, as well as cooperation with land owners to carry out experiments in their fields. Beyond research activities, the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut conducted also teaching sessions, in order to promote the results of research and experience into field agriculture. It also held public lectures on various topics, regularly reported by daily newspapers. Finally, the facility trained professionals in the field of botany, agricultural bacteriology, agrochemicals, land development, and plant or animal pathology.
Famous scientists worked at the institute, among whom: Professor Max Gerlach (also director), called the King of potatoes in East Prussia; Professor dr Richard Schander, specialist in the field of drainage using plants; Professor Freckmann. The institute also employed as a young researcher Theodor Roemer, later a professor in plant breeding at University of Halle.
In 1913, a project of extension was approved in order to use plots of land lying on the western side of the Ossoliński Alley, in order to develop areas for exhibition and trading: the outbreak of World War I interrupted the work and the plan was never completed. In 1919, prior to Bydgoszcz returned to Polish territory, employees, research records, plant preparations and laboratory devices were moved to Frankfurt an der Oder, and then to Gorzów Wielkopolski then part of Germany. However, this did not stop the activities of the Institutes, since Poland kept using actively the scientific buildings on the site.
Interwar period (1920–1939) With the rise of the Second Polish Republic, an intensive development of Bydgoszcz institute occurred, as it acted as the National Institute of Agricultural Science till 1927. After this date, Bydgoszcz facility was a branch of the National Institute of Scientific Agriculture in Puławy. The institution was reorganized on the model of a university, echoing the structure known under Prussian rule with four faculties: Agricultural chemistry, Plant pathology, Animal hygiene and Land development. The facility came into competition with the agricultural research centre of Poznań, reducing its independence and its development. Notable changes, including a significant increase of scientific personnel, occurred shortly before World War II (April 1938), when Bydgoszcz became the capital of the newly created Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Until 1939, the establishment had the following departments: Agricultural chemistry; Horticulture; Plant pathology; Land development (till 1932); Dairy (till 1932); Fishing economics (till 1932); Animal hygiene (till 1935).
The facility had experimental fields, indoor horticulture halls, a small park and a meteorological station. During this period, Bydgoszcz Institutes took part to numerous achievements in various fields: Research and fight against potato wart disease, led by professor Ludwik Garbowski and Dr. Piotr Leszczenko; Breeding of new potato varieties (Dr. Henryk Dołkowski); Animal hygiene (prof. Kazimierz Panek); Ichthyology (prof. Włodzimierz Kulmatycki).
From 1921 to 1924, director was prof. Kazimierz Bassalik, a Polish pioneer in microbiology, who established in Bydgoszcz in February 1923, a branch of the Polish Copernicus Society of Naturalists – the first in the Second Polish Republic, bringing together 58 members. From 1922 to 1939, prof. Włodzimierz Kulmatycki was an employee of the Institute and led the first scientific fishing institution in Poland. He also pioneered the area of water pollution and wastewater. Such researches contributed to elaborating state bills preventing fish poisoning in rivers. In 1930 Włodzimierz Kulmatycki founded in Bydgoszcz Poland's first scientific institution to study the purity of inland waters.
Between 1920 and 1922, Institutes have carried out in their buildings an Agricultural University, which activities began in November 1919 in Poznań. This Agricultural Academy had a quasi-academic curriculum, comprising 5 Academic terms. It allowed the promotion of Bydgoszcz facility to the level of a real university, thanks to the excellent staff coming from the whole country (Lwów, Kraków, Dubliany, Poznań) and favorable local conditions. Unfortunately, in 1923 this academy moved to Cieszyn.
Second World War During the occupation, German forces kept conducting research, despite the fact that the institute suffered significant losses. In autumn 1939, mass executions were performed, killing many scientists, technicians and administrative personnel, among whom institute director, professor Dr. Vladimir Kulmatycki.
1945–1989 In the second half of 1945, the institution resumed its works, as a branch of the National Institute of Scientific Agricultural in Pulawy (). Bydgoszcz institutes developed many research departments in the 1950s and the 1960s, leading to the following branches: Soil Science and Plant; Plant Breeding and Acclimatization; Zootechnics; Land development; Animal physiology and Nutrition Sciences; Potato research; Central Agricultural Library. In addition, since 1945, a local Branch of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine has been running (since 1995, National Veterinary Institute).
In the 1980s, a new building has been erected on Powstańców Wielkopolskich Alley, where have been gradually transferred the existing scientific institutions.