Roman Kobendza: a pioneer of environmental history

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present Roman Kobendza (1886-1955) and his article “Ruderal vegetation on the ruins of Polish cities (1949). Kobendza was a botanist associated with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and the University of Warsaw. He specialized in dendrology and the biology of woody plants and was also a promoter of nature conservation, contributing to the creation of numerous national parks. In addition to numerous expert studies, Kobendza also published works intended for a broader audience, which was a vital part of his popularizing activities. He also contributed actively to the interwar scholarly life, as a co-founder of the Polish Botanical Society and co-originator of the Polish Dendrology Society. The article entitled “Ruderal vegetation…” lies at the intersection of the researcher’s interests: phytosociology, studies on the vegetation of sandy areas, and nature conservation. Kobendza’s set out with noting the war-induced changes in the landscape—which in that case mainly meant Warsaw and its environs. Simultaneously, in his eyes, the evidently ravaged the city did not spell destruction alone, but rather the emergence of new, unprecedented environmental conditions in the sites he examined, which subsequently gave rise to distinct vegetation.