Tomasz Schramm

Associate Member  – Poland  (Sept, 2023)

University Professor (retired), Faculty of History, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland. 

Research interests political history of the 19th and 20th centuries, European history. Main publications: Historycy francuscy o genezie Wielkiej Wojny (French Historians and the Origins of the Great War), Poznań 1984, Francuskie misje wojskowe w państwach Europy środkowej 1919-1938 (French Military Missions in Central Europe 1919-1938), Poznań 1987, Europe in the 20th Century. Eléments pour un bilan, (ed.) Poznań 2000, Formation et décomposition des États en Europe au 20e siècle. Formation and Disintegration of European States in the 20th Century, Bruxelles 2012 (with A. Fleury, F. Knipping, D. Kovacs), Jak Polacy przeżywali wojny światowe? (How did Poles experience the world wars?) Szczecin 2016 (with P. Skubisz), in addition to about 160 articles, numerous reviews etc., Member of Centralna Komisja do Spraw Stopni i Tytułów Naukowych [Polish central body responsible for the procedure of granting scientific titles and degrees] 2012-2020. Vice President of the International Association of Contemporary European History 2000-2022, Chairman of the Committee of Historical Sciences at the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2016, member of the Board of the Polish Historical Society since 2004 and of other scientific societies, Knight in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques 2001, Knight in the Order Polonia Restituta 2010, Knight in the Ordre de Mérite 2016, Commander in the Order Polonia Restituta 2019. Honorary Professor of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin 2010, Honorary Doctor of the Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce 2015, Honorary Consul of the French Republic in Poznań 2006-2019.

Mountaineer, polar explorer:

Son of Professor Ryszard W. Schramm, member of The E.C. (CO ’79), he started his explorer career at his father’s side. They went together 5 times to Spitsbergen. With the exception of their trekking in 1992, previous expeditions had a clear exploring character:

1973, first to traverse N-S of the north-western part of Spitsbergen;

1977, fourth expedition ever made to the Atomfjella, 10 virgin peaks climbed (T.S. made two of them, in addition to the highest peak of Spitsbergen, Perrierfjellet 1717 m.), then traversed to Verlegenhuken (80º 04’ N) and back to Isfjorden;

1980/1983, first circumnavigation of Spitsbergen in small open boats with outboard engines. Due to harsh ice conditions, the attempt to make it during one summer season was unsuccessful, so the second part of the voyage was carried out three years later. During the second part, the expedition reached 81º N, north of Sjuøyane. The total length of the voyage: over 2.800 km.

Exploring activity of both Schramms brought them to Afghanistan in 1975, where they took part in the first alpinist expedition to the northern part of Afghan Darwaz – a huge, entirely unexplored mountain area north of Faisabad. Because of the further political events, this expedition remains probably up to now unique to this region.

Further interests of T.S. for exploration led him again twice to Spitsbergen: 

1987, mountaineering in Planetfjella

1997, first double traverse of Spitsbergen (Longyearbyen – Verlegenhuken – Sörneset – Longyearbyen; because of his professional duties, T.S. had to leave the four-person team one week before the end of the 1100 kilometers route).

Other expeditions include:

1995, March-April – the N-S traverse of Iceland;

1999, first Polish ascent of Cerro San Valentin (the Patagonian Andes, 4058 m.) and the first W-E traverse of Hielo Patagonico Norte.

In 1994 he was to Björnøya; in 2006 he made a three-week trekking in Tierra del Fuego (from Bahia Yendegaia to Lago Fagnano).

His expeditions to Spitsbergen gave him occasional opportunities to observe the polar heritage. During the 1980/83 circumnavigation of Spitsbergen he was involved in collecting documentation of the then existing trapper huts or their remains. Co-author (with R.W. Schramm) of the article  Влияние деятельности человека на среду Шпицбергена, „Природа и самоорганизация общества”, bыпуск XXII, 2002, s. 101-117 (“The impact of human activities on the Spitsbergen environment”)

To get in touch:  schramm@amu.edu.pl