*In 1931, on the 35th anniversary of Polish Radiology, the Central Board of the Polish Medical Society of Radiology (PLTR) instituted the title of Honorary Membership. The related diplomas are presented at the congresses of the Society. The first Honorary Member of the PLTR was Maria Skłodowska-Curie (1931). As is customary, Honorary Members do not pay the fees and they can attend all PLTR congresses free of charge.
*In 1986 , on the 90th Anniversary of Polish Radiology, the Polish Medical Radiological Society (PLTR) established the medal of Witold Zawadowski - for merits for Polish Radiology. It is awarded to those who have contributed particularly to the development of Polish radiology and is presented during subsequent congresses of the Society. For the first time, the medals were presented by Professor Olgierd Billewicz during the 31st PLTR congress in Krakow.
1996 marked the 100th anniversary of Polish Radiology, which was born in Krakow. On this occasion, from October 10 to November 8, the Jagiellonian University Museum hosted the exhibition "Pioneers of Krakow Radiology - into the century". The exhibition includes old X-ray machines, documents and medals. The curators of the exhibition were Dr. Ewa Wyka from the Jagiellonian University Museum and Dr. Andrzej Urbanik from the Chair of Radiology of the Jagiellonian University Medical College.
* In 1995, the 34th Congress of the Polish Medical Radiological Society (PLTR) was held in Łódź. It coincided with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of X-rays. On this occasion, a reprint of the first Polish translation of Roentgen's message was published. Originally, the brochure was published in Warsaw on January 31, 1896 by the Paprocki bookstore and the author of the translation was Dr. Stanisław Srebrny. On the occasion of the jubilee, Professor Jerzy Zajgner from Łódź also collected historical information about PLTR. He prepared an album in which he recorded the milestones of the history of the Society with the intention of further completion. Continuation of the work of prof. Zajgner was undertaken in later years by Professor Andrzej Urbanik from Kraków. In turn, Professor Stanisław Leszczyński took the initiative to collect historical information on Polish radiology and publish a book.
*1996 marked the 100th anniversary of Polish Radiology, which was born in Krakow. On this occasion, from October 10 to November 8, the Jagiellonian University Museum hosted the exhibition "Pioneers of Krakow Radiology - into the century". The exhibition includes old X-ray machines, documents and medals. The curators of the exhibition were Dr. Ewa Wyka from the Jagiellonian University Museum and Dr. Andrzej Urbanik from the Chair of Radiology of the Jagiellonian University Medical College.
*The history of Polish radiology in relation to the advancements in this discipline worldwide was presented in the book Historia radiologii polskiej na tle radiologii światowej, edited by Prof. Stanisław Leszczyński, and published by Medycyna Praktyczna in 2000.
*The 41st Congress of Polish Medical Society of Radiology, held in 2016 in Kraków took place on the 120th anniversary of Polish Radiology. On the eve of the congress, a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the fact that the first Polish X-ray images were taken by Jagiellonian University Professor Karol Olszewski in early January 1896. The ceremony brought together the most prominent representatives of the Jagiellonian University with His Magnificence the Rector, Professor Wojciech Nowak. The plaque was designed by Professor Jerzy Nowakowski of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. The celebrations of the anniversary also included an exhibition "120 Years of Polish Radiology" opened at the Jagiellonian Library on 8 November 2016. Both events were conceived and realised by Prof. Andrzej Urbanik.
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*The year 2005 marked the 80th anniversary of Polish Medical Society of Radiology. Professors Janina Dziukowa from Warsaw and Andrzej Ziemiański from Poznań suggested that the occasion should be celebrated with a conference, to which radiologists aged 80 and more would be invited. The meeting was organised by Prof. Andrzej Urbanik in Kraków. The event was attended by nearly 30 veterans of Polish radiology. The celebratory session was held in the most magnificent auditorium of the Jagiellonian University's Collegium Novum and was followed with a reception in "U Wentzla" restaurant.
*The year 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the introduction of a new type of X-ray tube by the American physicist William Coolidge. This lamp became the basis of modern radiology. On this occasion, in Krakow, the Museum of Municipal Engineering organized an exhibition - One Hundred Years of the X-ray Tube. Boards describing the development of the X-ray tube, which is the heart of each X-ray apparatus and the computer tomograph, were exhibited. Several lamps from the oldest to the newest generation were also presented. The curators of the exhibition were Dr. Ewa Wyka from the Jagiellonian University Museum and Professor Andrzej Urbanik from the Department of Radiology of the Jagiellonian University Medical College.
*In 2019 the book entitled Radiologia Polska w XIX i XX wieku (Polish Radiology in the 19th and 20th century) was published; it presents the most up-to-date information about Polish radiology during that period. The book was written by Andrzej Urbanik from Kraków, and Stanisław Leszczyński from Warsaw (the book was published after the latter author died).
*The year 2021 marked 125th anniversary of Polish Radiology. On 21 January, i.e. the anniversary of the information published in the Kraków daily Czas about the first Polish radiological research, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Broniszów (near Dębica in the Podkarpackie region), in the building of the local primary school. The event commemorated the fact that Karol Olszewski, who was born in Broniszów on , later worked as a professor at the Jagiellonian University, and in January 1896 took the first Polish radiological pictures. The celebratory event was conceived by Professor Andrzej Urbanik and organised jointly by the Chair of Radiology of Jagiellonian University's Collegium and Polradiologia Viva Foundation.
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*On 8 November 2021 (International Day of Radiology) an exposition entitled "125 years of Polish Radiology – 125 years of Radiology in Kraków" was opened in Dom Technika in Kraków. The exhibition presented historical radiological equipment (including a copy of the X-ray apparatus used by Karol Olszewski in 1896) as well as displays recounting the most important events in the history of Polish radiology. The opening ceremony was attended by prominent representatives of the City of Kraków, Jagiellonian University and the Małopolska Region. An important part of the event was the presentation of the most important award of the Małopolskie Region to Professor Andrzej Urbanik who came up with the concept of and curated the exhibition. The Polonia Minor Diploma for the Chair of Radiology at the Jagiellonian University's Collegium Medicum was awarded "for the services to the development of radiology in Poland and for the continued development of the entity which is an important component of the regional healthcare system".
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*125th anniversary of Polish Radiology was celebrated in 2021. The most important jubilee related event was the exhibition held in Kraków, where the first Polish X-rays were taken just a few days after Roentgen's discovery had been announced. During the opening ceremony, Professor Andrzej Urbanik, who came up with the concept of the event, suggested that a jubilee tree should be planted in the heart of Kraków, in the City Park surrounding the Old Town. The idea was supported by the local authorities. The event of planting the tree was scheduled to be held in 2022 during the Symposium of the International Society for History of Radiology (ISHRAD). Hence, one year after the idea was brought forth, on 7 October 2022, a Norway maple was planted to commemorate 125th anniversary of Polish Radiology. Those participating in the ceremony included i Arpan Banerjee (Chairman of ISHRAD), Uwe Busch (Director of German Röntgen Museum in R.), Renaat Van den Broeck (Curator of the Belgian Museum of Radiology), Mats Geijer (member of the ISHRAD Board), Jacek Skłądzień (representative of Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University and Krakow Medical Society), Michał Chlipała (Chair of History of Medicine at Jagiellonian University), Jolanta Chodor (Medical Chamber in Krakow), as well as Andrzej Urbanik and Tadeusz Popiela (Chair of Radiology, Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University).
*On 7-8 October 2022, Krakow hosted the Symposium of the International Society for the History of Radiology (ISHRAD). The event was organised by Departments of Radiology and History of Medicine, Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University, as well as Polradiologia Viva Foundation. The event was held under the honorary patronage of Prof. Jacek Majchrowski – Mayor of Krakow, Prof. Jacek Popiel – Rector of the Jagiellonian University, and Prof. Tomasz Grodzicki – Deputy Rector of the Jagiellonian University in charge of Collegium Medicum. The partners included the Regional Chamber of Medicine in Krakow, and Krakow Medical Society.
The 2022 ISHRAD Symposium was a hybrid event – sixty participants were present on site in the beautiful auditorium of Theatrum Anatomicum, while more viewers followed the proceedings online. Three sessions took place on 8 October. The first one focused exclusively on the history of Polish radiology, the second covered selected topics related to the history of diagnostic imaging in the world, and the third session included presentations of non-medical applications of radiology. Speakers from five countries presented a total of 22 fascinating papers.
Most importantly the event provided an opportunity for presenting historical achievements of radiology in Poland (including Krakow), which virtually had been unknown internationally. The guests from abroad were captivated by Krakow basking in the autumn sun, and they were greatly impressed with the collections of the Museum of Pharmacy and Anatomy which they visited on this occasion. At the beginning the guests had a surprise - on 7 October they attended a ceremony of planting a maple tree in the City Park, intended to commemorate 125th anniversary of Polish radiology which in fact was born in Krakow.
Report from the Symposium:
https://www.auntminnieeurope.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=mol&pag=dis&ItemID=623382
