Studia Maritima, vol. XXIV (2011)
ISSN 0137-3587
THE LIFE AND ACTIVITIES OF PROFESSOR JERZY TRZOSKA
December 2011 will see the seventieth birthday anniversary of Professor
Jerzy Trzoska, an outstanding historian, specialist in the economic studies on
Gdańsk, Pomerania and the Baltic region, and Associate Editor in the Editorial
Board of “Studia Maritima”. A teacher’s son, Professor Trzoska was born on
December 29, 1941 in Łowicz. In 1959 he completed his secondary education at
the Czersk High School (Chojnice Dictrict) to subsequently study history at the
Gdańsk Pedagogical College. His MA thesis entitled Gdańsk as a Timber Port
of the 1st Republic of Poland in the Late 17th and 18th Century, written under the
tutelage of Professor Edmund Cieślak was submitted and assessed in June 1964,
which earned Jerzy Trzoska the title of the Master of Arts in History. The thesis
was subsequently granted both the award of the Rector of the Gdańsk Pedagogical College and the honorable mention at the All-Polish Contest organized by the
Poznań Branch of the Association for the Western Territory Development.
New and broader possibilities of conducting further studies on the modern
history of Gdańsk and the Baltic zone appeared before Jerzy Trzoska on July 1,
1964, that is, at the moment when he became a staff member of the Gdańsk Research Group at the Pomeranian History Institute of the PAN (Polish Academy
of Sciences) History Department. Since 1955 the Head of this workshop was its
originator and organizer as well as an outstanding specialist in the history of
Gdańsk, Pomerania, and the Baltic zone in the period from the 15th till the 18th
century, Professor Edmund Cieślak. He exerted a considerable influence on Jerzy
Trzoska’s scholarly lot and research tasks he undertook concerning the history of
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The Life and Activities of Professor Jerzy Trzoska
Gdańsk issues, the Polish-Swedish economic relations and the maritime policy
of the Polish kings of the Saxon dynasty. The doctoral seminar tutored by Professor E. Cieślak which Jerzy Trzoska attended bore fruit in the form of a doctoral
dissertation on the late 17th and 18th century Gdańsk milling industry and baker’s trade. He defended this dissertation in June 1970 and the Scholarly Board of
the Faculty of Humanities at the Pedagogical College granted Trzoska the title
of Doctor of the Humanities. In January 1971, Jerzy Trzoska was appointed
Assistant Professor in the PAN Institute of History.
On subsequently becoming a coauthor of the multivolume History of Gdańsk
edited by Edmund Cieślak, Jerzy Trzoska was assigned the task to prepare the
issues of trade, navigation and craft in the period from 1655 to 1793. Due to
the existing research situation, the preparation of the assigned issues required
conducting pioneering, broad, thorough, and time-consuming archival and library research, first and foremost in the crucial, for the analysis of the issues in
question, collections of the Gdańsk State Archives as well as in the collections
of manuscripts and old prints stored in the PAN Gdańsk Library. Moreover, the
diversified contacts Gdańsk had with other European economy centres required,
considering the said period, supplying the source basis in foreign archives and
libraries. In the course of his numerous scholarly trips Jerzy Trzoska searched
query in the following archives and libraries: in France (Paris – Archives Nationales, Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Bibliothèque Nationale;
Bordeaux – Archives Départamentales de la Gironde), in Germany (Dresden
– Sächsisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Berlin – Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer
Kulturbesitz), and Swedish (Stockholm – Riksarkivet, Stadsarkivet, Kungliga
Bibliotheket; Göteborg – Stadsarkivet). The source materials obtained during his
research allowed Jerzy Trzoska to complete and verify some of the earlier statements concerning the town on the River Motława (Mottlau) and at the same time
the biggest port town of the 1st Republic of Poland with the then centres of European economy.
The same far-fetching local and foreign archival-library research allowed
Jerzy Trzoska to prepare and publish in 1989 his postdoctoral dissertation entitled
The Navigation, Trade, and Craft in Gdańsk in the Late 17th and 18th Century.
Despite considerable source shortage (e.g. tax collection ledgers) and dispersal,
Trzoska’s dissertation managed to demonstrate the relations in question as well as
their dimension and scope. In the dissertation Jerzy Trzoska could also boast of
using numerous sources for the sake of presenting in a new light the functioning
The Life and Activities of Professor Jerzy Trzoska
11
of the Gdańsk production, which resulted in the surfacing of until then unknown
facts from the social, material, and religious life of the analysed period. Not only
that; Trzoska also managed to conclude his dissertation on new notes as regards
the questions of the organization and activity of the maritime forces in the 1st
Republic of Poland during the reign of the Saxon kings. The defense of his dissertation took place in December 1989 and the Scholarly Board at the Institute of
History in the Gdańsk University, in recognition of its innovative theses granted
Jerzy Trzoska the title of holder of a postdoctoral degree in Modern History. This
title was validated by the Central Committee for Scholarly Titles and Degrees
in May 1990. On November 1 of the same year Jerzy Trzoska was appointed
Associate Professor in the PAN History Institute. This title was validated in May
1995. When Professor Edmund Cieślak retired on January 1, 1993, Jerzy Trzoska
took over his duties of the Head of the Research Group at the Institute of Gdańsk
and Maritime History in the PAN Department of History, an appointment which
he held until the end of 2006.
Beginning with October 1, 2000, Professor Trzoska became full professor
in the Szczecin University. Until his retirement on February 28, 2008, Trzoska
was the Head of the Modern History Research Group at the Institute of History
and International Relations. His didactic work covered lectures on modern history, seminars, and pro-seminars in the course of which he promoted over 30 MA
holders.
In the early October 2008 Jerzy Trzoska became an employee of the Gdańsk
College of the Humanities where he performed didactic work (lectures and seminars) at the Department of European Studies until September 30, 2009. Next,
from I October of the same year Trzoska lectures Modern History of Poland as
a full professor to students of the Słupsk (Stolp) Pomeranian Academy.
Professor Trzoska has still been working on the navigation-trade relations
and political connections existing between Sweden and the 1st Republic of Poland
and Pomeranian ports in the late 17th an 18th century. The rich source materials
found in particular in the Stockholm tax books Trzoska uses in his publications to
thoroughly document the so far little known issues of the Baltic trade exchange.
Apart from the Gdańsk issues, Professor Trzoska’s research plans also embrace
an intention to prepare the statistics of trade and navigation traffic exchange
among the most important port centres of Poland and Sweden, that is, Gdańsk
and Stockholm in the late 17th and the early 18th century. As a scholar, Professor
Jerzy Trzoska has also been interested in the interventions undertaken by the
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The Life and Activities of Professor Jerzy Trzoska
House of Wettin to lessen the damage to the Gdańsk navigation and trade caused
by the numerous war activities occurring on seas of the north-western Europe in
the early 18th century.
Jerzy Trzoska has actively participated in the organizational, scholarly and
social works. Since 1978 he has been an active member of the Gdańsk Scholarly
Association where he fulfilled the following functions: Secretary (of the Historical Editions Committee – since 1973), and Secretary of the 1st Department of the
Social Sciences and Humanities – in the years 1981–1985). In the period from
1984 to 1995 Professor Trzoska was also active as Secretary of the Polish-Swedish Historians Committee co-organizing and participating (as a speaker) in cyclic
symposia of historians of these two countries. He could also demonstrate his organizational talents on the occasion of being, in the years 1993–2001, the Chair
of the Committee for the History of Europe’s Northern Seas at the PAN Committee for Historical Sciences. Within the frames of this committee Trzoska organized numerous scholarly conferences with the participation of scholars representing various scientific disciplines and coming from various countries of the world
to discuss the political and socio-economic issues both of Poland and other Baltic
countries. In the period from 1993 to 2005 Professor Trzoska performed the function of the Vice-President of the Scholarly Council of the PAN Gdańsk Library.
It needs mentioning, too, that Professor’s activity as a member of the editorial
boards of such journals as “Rocznik Gdański” (The Gdańsk Yearly), “Nautologia” (Nautology), and “Studia Maritima”.
Professor Trzoska’s scholarly-organizational activity has been noticed and
appreciated. We have already mentioned that in 1973, as a young scholar, Trzoska
received the award of the Gdańsk Scholarly Association for his doctoral dissertation on the late 17th and 18th century Gdańsk milling industry and baker’s trade.
In 2000 Trzoska’s effort as a researcher, scholar, and co-author of the 5-volume
History of Gdańsk was also appreciated, for then he was granted The Award
of the President of the City of Gdańsk. Furthermore, Professor’s social and organizational activity has been noticed and appreciated by the self-governmental
and state authorities as well. For the entirety of his scholarly achievements as regards the issues of Gdańsk Jerzy Trzoska received the Badge of Honour “For the
service for Gdańsk”. Also, in 1993 state authorities decorated him with the Silver
Cross of Merit for the attainments in the realization of tasks within the frames
of the Research Group of Gdańsk History and Polish Maritime History at the
PAN Institute of History.
The Life and Activities of Professor Jerzy Trzoska
13
The presented above outline of the scholarly and organizational activity does
not exhaust the entirety of achievements of Professor Jerzy Trzoska and will certainly be completed in the course of his further scholarly, didactic, and social
work.
BOLESŁAW HAJDUK
Translated by Beata Zawadka
Studia Maritima, vol. XXIV (2011)
ISSN 0137-3587
PROF. JERZY TRZOSKA’S SELECTED MAJOR PUBLICATIONS
ON MARITIME HISTORY OF POLAND AND GDAŃSK
Gdańsk jako port drzewny w drugiej połowie XVII i w XVIII wieku, “Rocznik
Gdański”, 25, 1967, pp. 73–11.
Gdańskie młynarstwo i piekarnictwo w drugiej połowie XVII i w XVIII wieku,
Gdańsk 1973 (“Studia i Materiały do Dziejów Gdańska”, 6), 340 pp.
Inwentarz Wielkiego Młyna w Gdańsku z 1740 roku, “Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej”, 23, 1975, 1, pp. 67–76.
Dzieje gdańskiego statku „Fortuna” (1712–1731), Gdańsk 1979 (“Prace Muzeum
Morskiego w Gdańsku”, 8), 76 pp.
Możliwości wzbogacenia problematyki dziejów handlu gdańskiego w archiwach
miast portowych (Archiwum Departamentalne Żyrondy w Bordeaux), “Przegląd
Historyczny”, 71, 1980, 2, pp. 277–293.
Odszkodowanie Gdańska dla Francji w związku ze sprawą księcia Contiego,
“Zapiski Historyczne”, 45, 1980, 4, pp. 51–70.
Warunki handlu i żeglugi na Bałtyku podczas wojny rosyjsko-szwedzkiej lat
1741–1743, “Nautologia”, 15, 1980, 4, pp. 8–14.
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Prof. Jerzy Trzoska’s Selected Major Publications ...
Zmiany organizacvjno-finansowe w Wielkim Młynie w Gdańsku w pierwszej
połowie XVIII wieku, “Rocznik Gdański”, 42, 1982, 1, pp. 167–187.
Gdański fenomen historyczny, z cyklu: Gdańska kultura, “Fakty”, 26 (885), 1983,
pp. 10, 15.
Wywóz zboża i towarów spożywczych z Gdańska do Szwecji podczas wojny
rosyjsko-szwedzkiej 1741–1743, “Zapiski Historyczne”, 49, 1984, 4, pp. 51–67.
Z dziejów gorzelnictwa gdańskiego w drugiej połowie XVII i w XVIII wieku,
“Rocznik Gdański”, 44, 1984, 1, pp. 145–187.
Export of Corn and Victuals from Gdańsk to Sweden during the Russian-Swedish
War 1741–1743, “Studia Maritima”, 4, 1984, pp. 159–172.
Gdańsk jako ośrodek zaopatrzenia wojsk podczas wielkiej wojny północnej (1709–
1721), “Studia i Materiały do Historii Wojskowości”, 28, 1985, pp. 105–121.
Z dziejów budownictwa okrętowego w Gdańsku – wykaz statków zbudowanych
w pierwszej połowie XVIII wieku, “Nautologia”, 20, 1985, 1, pp. 19–41.
Sopocki epizod w dziejach wielkiej wojny północnej 1700–1721, “Rocznik Sopocki”, 6, 1982–1984 (ed. 1986), pp. 187–192.
Der Streit zwischen dem Sachsen August II. und Peter I. um die Kaperschiffe von
Gdańsk (1716–1721), “Studia Maritima”, 6, 1986, pp. 81–105.
Gdański suplement do pracy o browarnictwie w Prusach Królewskich w drugiej
połowie XVI i w XVII wieku, “Zapiski Historyczne”, 51, 1986, 3, pp. 131–144.
Sprawa kaprów królewskich w polityce Augusta II i Piotra I (1716–1721),
“Rocznik Gdański”, 46, 1986, 1, pp. 23–48.
Zakusy pruskie na dostęp Polski do morza po pierwszym rozbiorze Polski
(Na marginesie antologii „Trzymajmy się morza”), “Rocznik Gdański”, 47, 1987,
1, pp. 262–274.
Gdańsk as an Army Supply Centre during the Great Northern War, “Studia Maritima”, 7, 1988, pp. 84–106.
Prof. Jerzy Trzoska’s Selected Major Publications ...
17
Żegluga, handel i rzemiosło w Gdańsku w drugiej połowie XVII i w XVIII wieku,
Gdańsk 1989, 338 pp.
Gdańsk in den baltischen Plänen Peters I und die Versuche deren Übernahme durch August II, in: Changes in Two Baltic Countries. Poland and Sweden
in the Eighteenth Century, ed. by E. Cieślak and H. Olszewski, Poznań 1989,
pp. 141–155.
Gdańsk wobec wojny rosyjsko-szwedzkiej lat 1741–1743, “Rocznik Gdański”, 51,
1999, 1, pp. 83–110.
The Influence of the Russo-Swedish War on the Activity of the Port of Gdańsk,
“Studia Maritima”, 8, 1991, pp. 53–79.
Projekt powołania eskadry kaperskiej króla Augusta II Mocnego, “Przegląd
Morski”, 45, 1992, 6, pp. 53–60.
Sytuacja majątkowa czeladników w Gdańsku w drugiej połowie XVII
i w XVIII wieku na podstawie inwentarzy pośmiertnych czeladników piekarzy,
in: Nędza i dostatek na ziemiach polskich od średniowiecza po wiek XX. Materiały
z sesji zorganizowanej przez Instytut Historii Kultury Materialnej PAN 20
–22 maja 1991, ed. by J. Sztetyłło, Warszawa 1992, pp. 135–140.
Elbląski kaper króla Augusta Mocnego, “Nautologia”, 27, 1992, 1–2, pp. 13–16.
Sprawy handlu gdańskiego w raportach rezydenta szwedzkiego w Gdańsku Jakuba Brandlichta w latach 1724–1729, in: Strefa bałtycka w XVI–XVIII wieku.
Polityka – społeczeństwo – gospodarka. Ogólnopolska sesja naukowa zorganizowana z okazji 70-lecia urodzin Profesora Edmunda Cieślaka, ed. by. J. Trzoska, Gdańsk 1993, pp. 161–174.
Shipping Disputes between Gdańsk and Denmark during the Great Northern
War (1710–1721), “Studia Maritima”, 9, 1993, pp. 49–70.
Europejskie uwarunkowania rozwoju miasta (1655–1700), in: Historia Gdańska,
3/1: (1655–1793), ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1993, pp. 57–69.
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Prof. Jerzy Trzoska’s Selected Major Publications ...
Zmienne koniunktury w handlu i żegludze gdańskiej (1655–1700), in: Historia
Gdańska, 3/1: (1655–1793), ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1993, pp. 70–101.
Trudności wytwórczości cechowej (1655–1700), in: Historia Gdańska, 3/1: (1655
–1793), ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1993, pp. 102–140.
Zmiany w handlu bałtyckim i europejskim (1700–1793), in: Historia Gdańska,
3/1: (1655–1793), ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1993, pp. 339–356.
Handel i żegluga Gdańska w XVIII wieku (1700–1793), in: Historia Gdańska, 3/1:
(1655–1793), ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1993, pp. 357–401.
Kryzys systemu cechowego. Wzrost elementów kapitalistycznych (1700–1793),
in: Historia Gdańska, 3/1: (1655–1793), ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1993, s, 445
–484.
Gdańsk jako partner domu bankowego Steinhäuserów w latach 1715–1721,
in: Bankierzy i banki w dziejach Gdańska, ed. by E. Cieślak, Gdańsk 1999,
pp. 55–81.
Kaprzy króla Augusta Mocnego (1716–1721). Z problematyki morskiej czasów
saskich, Gdańsk 1993 (“Prace Centralnego Muzeum Morskiego w Gdańsku”, 9),
163 pp.
Sprawy morskie w polityce Augusta II Sasa, “Nautologia”, 29, 1994, 2, pp. 1–7.
Handel polsko-szwedzki w latach “potopu” na przykładzie kontaktów Gdańska
ze Sztokholmem, in: Relacje polityczno-gospodarcze w rejonie Bałtyku XVII
–XX w. Materiały z konferencji naukowej z 5 grudnia 1995 r., ed. by C. Ciesielski, Gdańsk 1996, pp. 35–47.
Walka cechów gdańskich z partaczami w XVII–XVIII wieku, in: Mieszczaństwo
gdańskie, ed. S. Salmonowicz, Gdańsk 1997, pp. 35–49.
Gdańsk na mapie gospodarczej nowożytnej Europy, in: Gdańsk w gospodarce
i kulturze europejskiej. Zbiór studiów, ed. by M. Mroczko, Gdańsk 1997, pp. 29
–52.
Prof. Jerzy Trzoska’s Selected Major Publications ...
19
Naval Forces and Sea-Borne Trade in Augustus II’s Policy, “Acta Poloniae Historica”, 75, 1997, pp. 85–100.
Flota wojenna w polityce Augusta II Mocnego, in: Polska marynarka wojenna
i jej miejsce na bałtyckim teatrze działań wojennych. Materiały z konferencji
naukowej zorganizowanej przez Akademię Marynarki Wojennej w Gdyni 24
–26 listopada 1998 r., Gdynia 1999, pp. 53–63.
The Polish-Swedish Trade in the Years of the “Swedish Flood”: The Gdańsk–
Stockholm Merchant Contacts, “Studia Maritima”, 11, 1998, pp. 9–22.
Problem of the Gdańsk Trade as Presented in the Reports of Jakub Brandlicht,
a Swedish Resident in Gdańsk in the Years 1724–1729, “Studia Maritima”, 12,
1999, pp. 25–39.
Handel Królewca w świetle raportów rezydenta szwedzkiego w Gdańsku w latach
1724–1729, in: Pomorze – Brandenburgia – Prusy. Państwo i społeczeństwo.
Księga pamiątkowa dedykowana Profesorowi Bogdanowi Wachowiakowi z okazji 70-lecia urodzin i 50-lecia pracy naukowej, ed. by W. Stępiński, Z. Szultka,
Szczecin 1999, pp. 83–90.
Gdańsk on the Economic Map of Early Modern Europe, “Acta Poloniae Historica”, 81, 2000, pp. 91–116.
Rola saskiego domu bankowego Steinhäuserów w kontaktach z Gdańskiem za
Augusta II (1714–1721), “Rocznik Gdański”, 60, 2000, 1, pp. 5–21.
Königsbergs Handel im Lichte der Berichte des schwedischen Residenten in Danzig in den Jahren 1724–1729, “Studia Maritima”, 13, 2000, pp. 78–89.
Der Entwurf des Collegiums der Kaufmanns-Ältesten vom Jahre 1670 über die
Notwendigkeit der Verbesserung des Danziger Handels, “Studia Maritima”,14,
2001, pp. 67–77.
Sytuacja formalno-prawna i materialna oraz perspektywy awansu zawodowego
uczniów w cechach gdańskich w drugiej połowie XVII i w XVIII wieku, in: Od
narodzin do wieku dojrzałego. Dzieci i młodzież w Polsce, 1: Od średniowiecza do
wieku XVIII, ed. by M. Dąbrowska, A. Klonder, Warszawa 2002, pp. 231–242.
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Prof. Jerzy Trzoska’s Selected Major Publications ...
Projekt Kolegium Starszych Kupiectwa z 1670 roku o potrzebie poprawy handlu
gdańskiego, in: Gdańsk – Polska – Europa. Praca zbiorowa ofiarowana profesorowi doktorowi habilitowanemu Władysławowi Zajewskiemu w siedemdziesiątą
rocznicę urodzin, ed. by Z. Kropidłowski, Gdańsk 2001 (Kolekcja “Universitas
Gedanensis”, 2), pp. 49–54.
Kontakty żeglugowo-handlowe Sztokholmu ze Szczecinem i Wołogoszczą w świetle
sztokholmskich ksiąg celnych, in: Historia lux veritatis. Księga pamiątkowa
dedykowana profesorowi Zdzisławowi Chmielewskiemu z okazji 60. rocznicy
urodzin, ed. by R. Gaziński, A. Gut, Szczecin 2002, pp. 323–338.
Tytoń ze Szczecina na rynku sztokholmskim w początkach XVIII wieku,
in: Monumenta manent. Księga pamiątkowa dedykowana profesorowi Tadeuszowi Białeckiemu w 70. rocznicę urodzin, ed. by A. Makowski, E. Włodarczyk,
Szczecin 2003, pp. 123–132.
Kontakte Stockholms im Schifffahrts- und Handelsbereich mit Stettin und Wolgast im Jahre 1725 anhand von Stockholmer Zollbüchern, “Studia Maritima”, 15,
2002, pp. 33–51.
Działania wojenne a handel gdański w pierwszej połowie XVIII wieku, “Teki
Gdańskie”, 5, 2003, pp. 265–275.
Gdańsk as a Partner of the Steinhäuser Banking House in 1714–1721, “Studia
Maritima”, 16, pp. 55–78.
Aus der Problematik Schifffahrtskontakte zwischen Stockholm und Danzig in der
zweiten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts, “Studia Maritima”, 17, 2004, pp. 23–27.
Plany Augusta II Sasa powołania Admiralicji w końcu XVII wieku, “Archiwum
Filozofii i Myśli Społecznej”, 49, 2004, pp. 131–140.
Zatargi żeglugowe Gdańska z Danią podczas wielkiej wojny północnej, in: Polska – Dania w ciągu wieków, ed. by J. Szymański, Gdańsk 2004, pp. 61–87.
Rosyjskie ingerencje w handel i żeglugę gdańską w pierwszej połowie
XVIII wieku, in: Sąsiedztwo nadbałtyckie (Bałtyk – Elbląg – Gdańsk – Rosja).
Zbiór studiów, ed. by A. Romanow, Płock–Iława–Elbląg 2005, pp. 21–42.
Prof. Jerzy Trzoska’s Selected Major Publications ...
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Z problematyki kontaktów żeglugowych pomiędzy Sztokholmem a Gdańskiem
w drugiej połowie XVII wieku, in: Po obu stronach Bałtyku. Wzajemne relacje
między Skandynawią a Europą Środkową, ed. by J. Harasimowicz, P. Oszczanowski, M. Wisłocki, Wrocław 2006, vol. 2, pp. 449–452.
Russische Eingriffe in Danziger Handel und Schifffahrt in der ersten Hälfte des
18. Jahrhunderts, “Studia Maritima”, 19, 2006, pp. 5–25.
From the Issues of Navigation between Stockholm and Gdańsk in the First Half
of the 18th Century, “Studia Maritima”, 20, 2007, pp. 51–63.
Wokół piekarzy i chleba w dawnym Gdańsku, „Pomerania”, 1, 2008, pp. 33–35.
Z zagadnień żeglugi pomiędzy Sztokholmem a Gdańskiem w pierwszej połowie
XVIII wieku, in: Miscellanea pomorskie. Studia z dziejów Pomorza Zachodniego
i Nadwiślańskiego, ed. by W. Skóra, Słupsk 2008, pp. 33–42.