Arqus Twinning visit reinforces academic and scientific cooperation between Granada and Wrocław

From 4–10 July 2026, the Department of Geography at the University of Wrocław welcomed participants of the Arqus Twinning and Arqus Networking programmes from the University of Granada. This was another visit organised within the Arqus Twinning programme, supported by funding from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), which aims to foster long-term cooperation between partner universities of Arqus.

The six-member delegation from Granada included Prof. Antonio García-Alix, Prof. Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno, and four students. The activities carried out under both Arqus programmes were coordinated by Dr Łukasz Stachnik and Dr Michał Łopuch, with the active involvement of five geography students from the University of Wrocław: Michalina Ratajczak, Martyna Andrzejewska, Maksymilian Błasiak, Szymon Zawlik, and Michał Grześkowiak.

The primary objective of the visit was to conduct joint research aimed at reconstructing the impact of human activity on the environment of the Karkonosze Mountains over the past two thousand years. The key component of the fieldwork was the collection of sediment cores from Mały Staw, one of the region’s glacial lakes. This work was carried out by researchers from the Department of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology at the University of Gdańsk, Prof. Wojciech Tylmann and Dr Maurycy Żarczyński.

In total, two sediment cores measuring 1.6 m and 1.0 m in length were obtained. Over the coming months, they will undergo detailed geochemical, sedimentological, and palaeoenvironmental analyses. The research programme also included the collection of water and sediment samples from the surroundings of Mały Staw.

However, Arqus is about much more than scientific research. It is also about exchanging experiences, discovering new places, and building lasting international relationships. During their stay, the visitors climbed Śnieżka, explored the Soil Science Laboratory, the Isotope Geology and Geoecology Laboratory, and the Geological Museum of the Institute of Geological Sciences. At the Alfred Jahn Cold Regions Research Centre, they also attended lectures on the environment of the Karkonosze Mountains and on the University of Wrocław’s polar research activities.

The collaboration is far from over. At the end of July, a seven-member team from the University of Wrocław will travel to Granada for a return visit, continuing the joint research and further developing academic cooperation between the two institutions.

Article by Emilia Wilanowska (University of Wrocław)