Professor Edward Lipiński – world renown economist, “KOR” co-founder and art collector

As has been the custom established in recent years, in October, during the inauguration ceremony of the academic year at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, its rector announces the patron of the year at our university. In 2023, we celebrated at SGH Warsaw School of Economics the year of Professor Edward Lipiński. 

Undertaken on the centenary of professor Edward Lipiński becoming employed at our university, the initiative aims to remember and honour an eminent world renown economist, author of an enormous number of works, Vice-Rector of SGH in 1937/1938 and 1945/1946, as well as Director of the Municipal School of Commerce and coordinator of SGH underground activities during World War 2 occupation. 

Professor Edward Lipiński, who also served as an honorary president of the International Association of Students in Economics and Business and was a member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, as well as the British Academy, was also among the most active representatives of the democratic opposition, the co-founder and member of the Workers’ Defence Committee/ KSS “KOR”. 

On October 11, 2023, the day of the official inauguration of the new academic year 2023/2024, the exhibition “There is no economy without entrepreneurship” was opened in the general reading room of the SGH Library. The apartment of Professor Edward Lipinski - the informal headquarters of the KOR”. It showed Professor Lipinski’s apartment in the so-called Professors’ House of the SGH at 22c Rakowiecka Street, which became the informal headquarters of the KOR. In addition to the furniture and artwork provided by the professor’s family, there have also been demonstrated eavesdropping devices lent to us for the duration of the exhibition by the Museum of Polish Soldiers and Political Prisoners. The apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Lipinski, located on the top floor of the Professors’ House, was subject to total eavesdropping in addition to telephone tapping.

Among the university’s most distinguished professors, vice-rectors and rectors, Professor Edward Lipiński holds a special place. He is a figure combining the pre-war traditions of SGH with the recent history of the university. A human with immense merits in guiding our community through the difficult times of the World Was 2 occupation and the Stalinism years.  

Pictured are SGH Rector dr hab. Piotr Wachowiak, prof. SGH, and Barbara Lipinska-Leidinger, granddaughter of prof. Edward Lipiński.

Exhibition at the SGH Library.

The commemorative plaque, prepared by the Office for Commemoration of Struggles and Martyrdom of the Institute of National Remembrance in cooperation with SGH, was unveiled on October 11 2023 in the immediate vicinity of the so-called Professors’ House, located on the SGH (formerly SGPiS) campus. The ceremony was attended by members of the KOR (pictured Wojciech Onyszkiewicz) and the KOR Social Self-Defense Committee, representatives of the Institute of National Remembrance, SGH authorities, members of the SGH Senate and the SGH academic community.

Exhibition at the SGH Library.

Edited by KAROLINA CYGONEK, Press Unit, SGH Rector’s Office