It is with great sadness that the Jagiellonian University announces the death of Prof. Franciszek Ziejka, a professor in the humanities, distinguished literary historian, and former JU Rector in the years 1999–2005. Professor Ziejka passed away on 19 July 2020 at the age of 79. In this difficult moment, we stand together with his family and friends.
Franciszek Ziejka was born on 3 October 1940 in Radłowo near Tarnów. In 1958–1963, he studied Polish Studies at the Jagiellonian University. After graduation, he started working at the JU Institute of Polish Studies. In 1971, he received his PhD, successfully defending a thesis on the symbolism of Stanisław Wyspiański’s The Wedding. He became a professor in 1998.
For many years, he was head of the JU Institute of Polish Studies Chair in 19th-Centruy Polish Literature. He was the Dean of the JU Faculty of Philology in 1990–1993, the Vice-Rector for General Affairs in 1993–1999, and the Rector in 1999–2005. For six years, he was the President of the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in Kraków, and for three years, the president of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland. He was an active member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has led the Council of the National Museum in Kraków, and was a member of the Council of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków and the Council of the Wawel Royal Castle-State Art Collection. For many years, he has represented the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences within the Association Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris. He was a member of the Committee for Ethics in Science at the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Prime Minster Award Council.
For more than seven years, he was a lecturer at French universities in Aix-de-Provence and Paris. He founded the first Polish Studies and Culture programme at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. He was a member of editorial committees of several journals. Five Polish universities have awarded him with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. He was the honorary citizen of Tarnów, Sanok and Radłowo. He received many national and foreign medals, including the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Medal of Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, Austrian Grand Golden Cross of Merit, Palmes Academiques, Ordre National du Mérite, Legion of Honour (Chevalier), Mauthausen Pro Meritis Cross, Grande Oficial da Ordem do Mérito, and Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
If you would like to offer your condolences to Prof. Franciszek Ziejka's family, friends and colleagues, please send them via e-mail at info@uj.edu.pl. Your messages will be published on the Jagiellonian University website along with your name and/or the name of your organisation.
