The codename Agaton belonged to a Polish resistance figure whose wartime activities in document forgery preceded a career as a state architect. Following a decade defined by intelligence operations and armed struggle during the Second World War, he transitioned into the institutional rebuilding of Warsaw, significantly impacting the city's structural landscape through the latter half of the twentieth century.
Academic Foundation and Military Mobilization
Before the onset of World War II, Jankowski studied and worked as an assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology. His academic progression was halted by the 1939 German invasion of Poland. Initially captured by Soviet forces in the eastern regions of the country, he managed an escape that led him to join the Polish Armed Forces in the West. He was a member of the Korporacja Akademicka Sarmatia.
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Jankowski functioned as an SOE agent, known as a Cichociemny. In 1942, he parachuted into occupied Poland to manage the document forgery department for the Home Army, known as the Agaton section. During the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, he served as commander of the Agaton Platoon within the Batalion Pięść, part of the Radosław Group. After the Uprising, he performed the duties of aide-de-camp to General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski.
Post-War Architectural Practice
After the conflict, he returned to the Warsaw University of Technology to resume his career as an architect. His practice was central to the state-led reconstruction of Warsaw. His portfolio included the Ministry of Agriculture in Warsaw, and his professional engagements extended internationally to projects in Vietnam, Peru, Iraq, and Yugoslavia.
Recognition and Legacy
Jankowski received numerous accolades for both his wartime service and his contributions to urban recovery. Military honors included the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, the Cross of Valour, the Armia Krajowa Cross, and the Army Medal for War 1939-45. His civilian awards included the Order of the Banner of Work, the Order of the Smile, and the Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He was also an Honorary Citizen of Warsaw. He died in 2002 and is interred at the Evangelical Cemetery of the Augsburg Confession in Warsaw.
Fast facts
- Born: 1911, Warsaw
- Died: 2002, Warsaw
- Military rank: Captain, Sub-lieutenant
- Known for: Reconstruction of Warsaw
- Key work: Ministry of Agriculture, Warsaw
- Education: Warsaw University of Technology
- Citizenship: Poland
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of the Agaton codename?
It referred to Jankowski's role in the Home Army's document forgery department during the occupation of Poland.
Did his architectural work stay within Poland?
No, while he was instrumental in Warsaw's reconstruction, he also executed projects in Vietnam, Iraq, Peru, and Yugoslavia.
Achievements
- Notable work: Ministry of Agriculture, Warsaw
- Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Armia Krajowa Cross
- Order of the Smile
- Trained at Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology
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