In the Lubrański Auditorium of Collegium Minus, Prof. Ilona Czamańska of the Faculty of History at AMU celebrated the 50th anniversary of her scientific and teaching work.
- "Ceremonies of this kind are usually quick summations. I don't feel ready for them yet." said Prof. Ilona Czamańska in her speech. - "I know I need to slow down, but I find it very hard. In fact, I cannot imagine it at all."
- "Those who have had the opportunity to get to know her better know that she has played and continues to play a significant role in historical research circles, as she combines scientific interests which are not popular. But thanks to this, she makes our view of native history always a little wider. We know very well that she connected her interest in the history of Old Poland, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with her interest in the neighbouring lands, showing us all that our ancestors lived in a slightly broader constellation," said Professor Rafał Witkowski, Vice-Chancellor of the Adam Mickiewicz University.
- "Professor Czamańska always had the advantage of talking about important issues related to history in a sometimes cheerful, humorous way. She was able to weave poetry into texts or speeches that were strictly scientific. In what she wrote, you could always feel her scientific focus, but also her character as an incredibly kind, sympathetic and warm person. One who was always able to gain the sympathy of her audience" mentioned the Vice-Chancellor.
Prof. Józef Dobosz, Dean of the Faculty of History, presented the profile of the Jubilarian, saying, among other things, that "she was a very nice person: - Some time has passed since her first steps at AMU, and for a historian, time is the basic material. For the story of Ilona Czamańska, however, this is not the most important factor; what comes to the fore are people, their deeds, their strengths and weaknesses; and then places," said Prof. Dobosz.
Prof. Ilona Czamańska's research interests include issues such as:
- Wallachians and Wallachian law - research on the Wallachians in Southeast Europe conducted in cooperation with research centres in Romania, Macedonia, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine;
- History and culture of Romanian states - history of Moldavia and Wallachia, history of Bessarabia, history of Transylvania as an independent state and part of the Kingdom of Hungary;
- Polish-Romanian genealogical links - including the history of the Moghila (Movilă), Costin, Stroici, Barnovschi, and Murguleţ families;
- Old Polish culture and its links with South-Eastern Europe - history and tradition of the Balkan peoples in Old Polish literature, Polish culture in the Balkans;
- History and culture of the Southern Slavs up to the 18th century - history of the Slavic states in the Balkans, history of the Slavs under Turkish rule.
We warmly congratulate prof. Ilona Czamańska, and we wish her further enthusiasm for her work.
