EN
The central part of the article is the account of Jerzy Tomaszewski (1930–2014), a Warsaw historian of economic history, the history of Central Europe of the 20th century, and a pioneer of research on the history of Polish Jews. Tomaszewski gave an account of his research career. In an essential part of the conversation, he recalls his teachers: Profs. Witold Kula and Andrzej Grodek. The conversation also sheds light on the Stalinization of historical science in the first half of the 1950s. Tomaszewski also pointed to the main inspirations and conditions that made him undertake his research. An interesting and little-known thread is Tomaszewski’s cooperation with historians from other Central European countries, including Czechoslovakia, as well as the recollections of the PRL (Polish People’s Republic) restrictions of the freedom of scientific research. The conversation is preceded by a short biography of Jerzy Tomaszewski and a note discussing the origins of this source material.