1950 – establishing an autonomous University – the Medical Academy of Lodz

The date of 24th October 1949 was a crucial moment or the medical centre of Lodz when, by an Edict of the Government of the Polish People’s Republic, the Medical Academy of Lodz, an autonomous university, was established. This event was a consequence of Ministry of Health policies which had been in effect for a while; By founding independent academies, the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL) hoped to counteract the universities, which were seen as “the seed of reaction”. Valuable university traditions were also criticized as being “unworthy of following”. The new academy model was consistent with the politics of those times and state ideology identical with that of the Soviet convention. “The willingness to approximate the everyday life to medical students” was stated as the main reason for creating academies.

Allegedly, this was hitherto impossible within the structures of the universities because “owing to a theoretical nature of academic knowledge, the universities exist in isolation”. Emphasis was also put on economical aspects, with the explanation that financing the new Academy would be easier for the government. The Medical Academy of Lodz commenced its activity on 1st January 1950. Prof. Emil Paluch, MD, PhD was appointed the first Rector and Prof. Jerzy Jakubowicz, the Vice-Rector. The Rector’s office of the newly created academy was initially located at 96 Narutowicza St. while the Dean’s offices were left in the University of Lodz building at 65 Narutowicza St. The Medical Academy received its own registered office in 1952 at the building at 81/83 Zachodnia St. Since 1957, the seat of the Academy authorities and administration has been Jakub Hertz’s palace located at 4 Kościuszki Ave., which is one of the most elegant city post-industrial residence buildings and was built in the years 1891-1892.

Source: 65 years of Medical Higher Education in Lodz by Piotr Machlański and Jerzy Supady