90th anniversary of prof. dr hab. Norbert Morciniec, 27.10.2022

On 27 October 2022, Dutch philologists celebrated the 90th anniversary of prof. dr hab. Norbert Morciniec, the founder (since the 1960s and 1970s) of the first academic studies in the field of Dutch Studies. The anniversary ceremonies took place in the Oratorium Marianum, which was full of friends, pupils and students.

On behalf of our University, His Magnificence Rector Robert Olkiewicz, Vice-Rector for projects and international relations Patrycja Matusz and head of the Chair of Dutch Studies Irena Barbara Kalla offered congratulations to the jubilarian.

A number of diplomats also expressed wishes and greatest appreciation for the longstanding academic activity of the jubilarian: Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Wrocław Martin Kremer, Embassy of the Netherlands attaché Martin van Dijk (on behalf of Ambassador Daphne Bergsma) and Dorien Laermans (on behalf of The General Representative of Flanders, Belgium to Poland and the Baltic states, Thomas Castrel).

In a special video message, prof. Kris Van de Poel, Secretary-General of the Dutch-Flemish-Surinamese ministerial agenda Dutch Language Union (Taluunie, with its head office in Hague) and prof. Wim Vandenbussche, Chairperson of the International Association for Dutch Studies (Internationale Vereniging voor Neerlandistiek, with its head office in Brussels) expressed their wishes for the jubilarian. They were also joined by dr hab. Agata Kowalska-Szubert of the University of Wrocław, Vice-President of the International Association for Dutch Studies and President of the Association of Dutch Philologists of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Niederlandistenverband in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz) drs Hans Beelen.

All of the speakers emphasized the great achievements of prof Norbert Morciniec, who has been associated with our University for nearly 70 years. He is the author of many works on linguistics and literature, including the first Dutch grammar book in the Polish language (1977) and the first book on the history of Dutch literature in the Polish language (1985). He is also the founder of the first English Studies program in Poland (1975, UWr) and Neerlandica Wratislaviensia (1981-1983), the oldest scientific magazine on Dutch Studies in Central and Eastern Europe. During the ceremonies, the jubilarian was gifted a special issue of the magazine (NW XXXIII/2022) edited by Stefan Kiedroń.

Prof. Morciniec was the head of the Institute of German Studies, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Letters of the UWr and Vice-Rector for projects and international relations of the UWr. He was also the founder of the German philology institutes at the University of Silesia in Katowice and the University of Opole. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature in Ghent (Flanders). He has been awarded with the Order of Orange-Nassau of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Order of the Crown of the Kingdom of Belgium, among others. He is a supervisor of tens of doctoral students of German and Dutch Studies, and many of his students later became professors and associate professors. He is still active in the academic field to this day.

Senior-Rector Adam Jezierski’s performance, who played the compositions of Orlando di Lasso and Ludvig van Beethoven on the historical organ built by Adam Horatio Casparini, added to the warm and homelike atmosphere of the ceremony.

The anniversary was held under the patronage of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Warsaw, the Delegation of Flanders in Warsaw and the Consulate of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Krakow.

Stefan Kiedroń