History of the Faculty

Geography has been taught at the University of Warsaw since the nineteenth century. Formal geographical studies, however, began in 1918 with the establishment of the Department of Geography.

The Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies was established on 1 October 1977 through the merger of the Institute of Geography and the Institute of African Studies. At the time of its creation, the Faculty comprised three institutes (the Institute of Physical Geography, the Institute of Socio-Economic and Regional Geography, and the Institute of Geography of Developing Countries), as well as the Field Station in Murzynowo near Płock.

Until 1952, the geographical units of the University had no permanent location and were situated either on the University’s main campus or in leased premises in central Warsaw. During the German occupation of the Second World War, geography was taught in private apartments between 1942 and 1944 as part of the underground system of higher education. Today, the Faculty is housed in the Uruski-Czetwertyński Palace, a Neo-Renaissance building located on the Royal Route, constructed in the mid-nineteenth century and rebuilt after the war.

The Faculty Library is the largest faculty library at the University of Warsaw, housing nearly 325,000 volumes. It contains the largest collection of maps in Poland, alongside extensive holdings of books and academic journals.