Janusz Kurtyka

Janusz Kurtyka
Born	Janusz Marek Kurtyka (1960-08-13) 13 August 1960 Kraków, Poland
Died	10 April 2010(2010-04-10) (aged 49) Near Smolensk, Russia
Occupation	Historian
Years active	1985–2010
Known for	President of the Institute of National Remembrance (2005–2010)

Janusz Kurtyka

Janusz Marek Kurtyka (born 13 August 1960 – died 10 April 2010) was a distinguished Polish historian who served as the second president of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) from December 2005 until his untimely death in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash.

Born in Kraków, Kurtyka graduated from the History and Philosophy Faculty at the Jagiellonian University. Since 1985, he worked at the Polish Academy of Sciences as a historian with a focus on medieval Poland, the communist period, contemporary history, and historical methodology. He earned his doctorate in 1995 and achieved habilitation status in 2000. Kurtyka contributed extensively to scholarly works such as the Wielka Encyklopedia PWN and the Polski Słownik Biograficzny, authoring over 140 academic publications.

During the era of the People's Republic of Poland, Kurtyka was actively involved in the democratic opposition against communist rule. He participated in the Independent Students Union and was a member of the Solidarity trade union. From 1989 to 2000, he led the Kraków branch of Solidarity within the Historical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Following the establishment of the Institute of National Remembrance in 1998—a governmental body tasked with investigating crimes committed during both Nazi and Communist regimes—Kurtyka became the inaugural head of its Kraków division. In April 2005, he was nominated by the Institute's Board for its presidency and subsequently confirmed by both chambers of the Polish parliament, taking office on 29 December 2005.

In recognition of his work, Kurtyka received several honors: in 2007, he was awarded the Ukrainian Order of Merit, third class; later, in April 2009, President Lech Kaczynski bestowed upon him the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

Tragically, Kurtyka perished on 10 April 2010 aboard the Tupolev Tu-154 operated by the 36th Special Aviation Regiment, which crashed near Smolensk-North airport close to Katyn in Russia. The flight carried President Lech Kaczyński along with other prominent Polish officials; all passengers lost their lives.

Shortly before his death, Kurtyka had advocated for transparency regarding the Katyn massacre, urging for Russia to declassify investigation results and open related archives. His sudden passing left a challenging vacancy at IPN due to his unique expertise and leadership.

Following a funeral mass held at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Kraków, he was interred at Rakowicki Cemetery on 23 April 2010. On 16 April that year, he was honored posthumously with the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

Selected works

• Generał Leopold Okulicki "Niedźwiadek" (1898–1946), (General Leopold Okulicki, "Niedźwiadek" (1898–1946)), 1989
• Konspiracja i opór społeczny na Podkarpaciu w okresie PRL (red.), (Edited volume: Conspiracy and Social Resistance in Subcarpathia during the PRL era), 2007
• Latyfundium Tęczyńskie. Dobra i właściciele (XIV–XVII wiek), (The Tęczyński Family Latifundium: Estates and Proprietors from the 14th to 17th Centuries), 1999
• Odrodzone królestwo. Monarchia Władysława Łokietka i Kazimierza Wielkiego w świetle nowszych badań, (Reborn Kingdom: The Reign of Władysław Łokietek and Kazimierz Wielki Examined through Recent Studies), 2001
• Tęczyńscy. Studium z dziejów polskiej elity możnowładczej w średniowieczu, (The Tęczyński Lineage: An Analysis of a Polish Medieval Noble Elite), 1997
• "Freedom And Independence - Zrzeszenie "Wolność i Niezawisłość, WiN", A Historical Overview