Ryszard Kaczmarek

Ryszard Kaczmarek is a Professor at the Institute of History, University of Silesia in Katowice, and also affiliated with the Institute of Regional Research of the Silesian Library in Katowice. His academic work spans historical research, international collaboration, and digital humanities initiatives.

• PhD, DLitt (Doctor of Letters)
• Prof. Dr. hab. (Habilitation degree, Poland)

His research focuses on 20th-century Polish history, modern German history, and the history of Silesia, particularly during wartime and periods of political upheaval. He explores themes such as military service of ethnic Poles in German armies, occupation regimes, national identity, and borderland dynamics.

The publications analyzed reveal a consistent focus on military history, Polish-German relations, and the socio-political transformations in Central Europe, especially in Silesia. His works span monographs, edited volumes, and international editions in English, German, and Polish, reflecting broad scholarly impact.

He was awarded the Identitats Award for the historical book of the year 2015.

Kaczmarek has been actively involved in academic mentoring and research leadership. He served as the Polish coordinator for the Horizon 2020 CHIBOW project and as project manager for the NPRH-funded study on Poles in the Imperial German Army. He is a member of the Academic Board for the WARLUX project at the University of Luxembourg.

He led the creation of major digital academic platforms: the Encyclopedia of the Silesian Voivodeship (EWOŚ), the Geographical and Historical Dictionary (GEOHIST), and the Eduś educational platform, all hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies of the Silesian Library.