Jan Zachwatowicz

January Zachwatowicz ( born March 4, 1900 in Gatchina, † August 18, 1983 in Warsaw) was a Polish architect, art historians and conservators.

Zachwatowicz studied at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic industrial and received his degree in architecture from the Technical University of Warsaw, 1930. 1939 he became director of the architecture department of the university, but had his courses at great personal risk during the Nazi occupation keep secret. In 1945 he was appointed General Curator and Chair of Polish architecture. Zachwatowicz became an internationally known representatives of the " Polish School of monuments " (a term which, however, was not appreciated by him). He led the reconstruction of Warsaw's Old Town, with Stanisław Lorentz (1899-1991), the king of the castle ( as an employee of the Biuro Odbudowy Stolicy ( BOS) in its place the CCP regime initially a modern building had wanted to put to the " feudal heritage to make " forgotten). Among the BOS architect he was a strong advocate of conservation and reconstruction of old buildings. In 1964 he was one of the signatories of the Charter of Venice.

Developed by Zachwatowicz and his team principles were applied in reconstruction projects in Gdańsk, Poznań and Wrocław.

Maria Zachwatowicz was his wife and Krystyna Zachwatowicz one of two daughters.

Publications (selection )

• Ochrona Zabytków w Polsce ( The monuments in Poland, 1965)
• Architektura polska (Polish Architecture, 1966)
• Sztuka polska przedromańska i Romanska do schyłku XIII wieku ( Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque Polish art until the end of the 13th century, 1971; community work )
• Zamek Krolewski ( The Royal Castle in Warsaw, 1979)