The Association of Engineers and Technicians of Communication of the Republic of Poland is an environment gathering people whose passion is transport, communication and everything related to them. They are interested in the development of technique and technology, they follow the latest trends and solutions that bring dynamic development in all fields related to engineering and technology.

Our Association, looking into the future, does not forget about the cultural, historical and technical heritage. These goals are pursued by the National Club of History and Monuments of Transport SITK RP, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The task of the Club is primarily to popularize knowledge about the history of technology and the protection of transport monuments, to commemorate the creators of technology, as well as to cooperate with institutions dealing with the history of technology.

On the occasion of the Jubilee of the Club, thanks to the efforts of the SITK RP Branch in Krakow, a publication containing edited records of lectures given during seminars and plenary meetings of Club members was published. The author of most of the studies is the Chairman of the Club, Jerzy Hydzik, the other authors are: Władysław Alaborski (†), Adam Kotuszewski, Kazimierz Mazur, Bartosz Stępień and Tomasz Wągrowski (†). The editors of the publishing house are Janina Mrowińska and Jolanta Żurowska.

The publication, consisting of six chapters, presents in a broad, cross-sectional way information on historic, valuable railway engineering structures, the history of their creation, use, problems related to construction or operation, and their importance for the region, country or continent. From the pages of the book, richly illustrated with historical, unique photos and engravings, the surprising beauty of these technical objects also emerges, and the feelings they evoke in users or enthusiasts of the history of monuments are revealed. They are objects visited by history lovers on a par with museums or other objects that are our cultural heritage. Many of these objects may no longer meet the latest technical or technological standards and expectations, but they are living works of engineering, architectural and construction art, and the word “art” is fully justified here.

On the pages of the following chapters you can learn about the most interesting and important railway lines crossing all continents of our globe. In the photos we see these most famous trains moving on infrastructure that is often a masterpiece of the art of design and construction, but we also see them in a spectacular setting of beautiful, diverse nature, different on every continent.

In the next chapter, we can admire the most famous Polish and foreign engineering structures, which often surprise with their beauty and craftsmanship, performing not only utilitarian functions, but also pleasing users as beautiful monuments from past eras.

A separate chapter is devoted to the narrow-gauge railways so beloved by all, which thanks to the tireless efforts of railway lovers and enthusiasts have been restored to operation. Public transport – Polish and foreign – has also found its place here. This dynamically developing branch of transport has a great future ahead of it and important tasks to fulfill in conditions of increasing traffic congestion, especially in large cities and agglomerations.

A separate place in the book is occupied by the history of the Krakow Railway Station, which is an important point that performs various functions that are extremely important for the functioning of the city. The station itself, its surroundings and infrastructure are a whole complex of beautiful technical monuments, each of which has its own interesting, separate and worth knowing history. History does not stand still, it is constantly being created. You can feel it on your own skin and become a part of it – currently, Krakow’s Railway Station is the place where they find the first, most needed help and the outstretched helping hand of a refugee from Ukraine. We are creating a new story here.

The last chapter is devoted to the great known and unknown – people who contributed to the railway, who created it, built it, devoted their lives to it. Many of these names have fallen into oblivion, and it is worth recalling them, showing the effects of many years of work of these people combined with great passion.

Therefore, we encourage you to read the book “About railways by rail” – information presented in an accessible, interesting way, supplemented with a large collection of photos, drawings and illustrations will enrich our historical and technical knowledge, and will also speak to the imagination, taking us to the fascinating, rich world of railways.

It is worth noting that the materials contained in the book were presented at numerous plenary meetings of the Club and presented during lectures conducted by Col. Jerzy Hydzik. These lectures are continuously held on the first Tuesday of each month, enjoying great popularity among members and supporters of the Branch.