Stories and Narrative: Eduardo de Habich

Eduardo de Habich

Source: Inside

The legacy of Eduardo de Habich

The Polish engineer, founder of the UNI, was committed to training students to build the country and confront the exploitation of its resources.

Eduardo Habich

Published: Monday, August 29, 2022

In December 1869, after a long boat trip for a month, the Polish engineer and mathematician Eduardo de Habich arrived at the port of Callao. He was 34 years old. At that time, Peru was still experiencing the prosperity of guano exploitation and the Government was looking in Europe for engineers who wanted to come to the country and join in the construction of public works.

The contract signed by De Habich with the country indicated that he had to remain in Peru for at least three years and that he would be in charge of the creation of an engineering school if the Government decided. In the end he stayed to live for 40 years, like any other Peruvian; He raised a family, and the school (today the National University of Engineering) was his great legacy.

Roots and arrival

Eduardo de Habich was born in 1835 in Warsaw, into a family of noble lineage. He had military training and served in the Russian army in the Crimean War, but later joined separatist groups seeking independence from Poland. His life took a different path in Paris, where in the early sixties he studied at the School of Bridges and Causeways and dedicated himself to various academic activities, such as being director of the Polish Higher School, founded by migrants.

In Peru, his first commissions were to carry out irrigation studies and, later, he was assigned to repair work on the La Oroya railway. In 1972, he also joined a commission to draft the new regulations for the State Corps of Engineers with the intention of making the country more technical. Until then, only those who had completed professional studies could have the degree of engineer, and since there was no specialized school in Peru, the majority of Peruvians with experience in that field could only aspire to be assistants to foreign engineers.

Talent school

Eduardo de Habich was convinced that the country needed to train its own engineers for better exploitation of its natural resources. Manuel Pardo's government sent him to Europe to convince teachers, obtain materials and design programs for the future school. Finally, on March 18, 1876, the Special School of Civil and Mining Constructions was founded in Lima, with De Habich as its first director. Although he started with these two specialties, the intention was to expand it to other careers, in accordance with the demands of the industry and the needs of the country.

The teaching had an emphasis on practice with visits to mining centers and construction sites. In addition, excursions were carried out to learn about the reality of the country and the means of production. The horizon for future Peruvian engineers was great because of how much had to be done. After three years in the classrooms they could obtain their degree.

Illustrious collaborator

During the conflict with Chile, the school—which occupied the premises of the Casona de San Marcos—was taken over. Other temporary spaces were found to continue teaching classes and when the war ended, its reconstruction began.

In the same way, the country had to be rebuilt and Eduardo de Habich was called to collaborate with various authorities. His technical capacity for studies on roads, irrigation, urban planning, railways, lighting, among others, laid the foundations for 20th century Peru.

Until his death (October 31, 1909), Eduardo de Habich remained director of the School of Engineers. His memory continues to be present in generations of students trained to transform the country. Edward Jan Habich (Spanish: Eduardo de Habich) (31 January 1835, Warsaw – 31 October 1909, Lima, Peru) was a Polish engineer and mathematician.[1] In 1876, he founded the National University of Engineering (Spanish: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería), a renowned engineering school in Lima, Peru.[2] He was a member of the Peruvian Geographic Society and an Honorary Citizen of Peru. In his native Poland he took part in the January Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1863.

Burial

Edward Jan Habich is buried at the Cementerio Presbítero Matías Maestro, Lima, Peru.