Lift industry and vertical transport development in Poland – The common history of the Polish-German-Austrian heritage

Electric passenger lifts are vertical transportation devices and essential building equipment that people worldwide use daily. Following Werner von Siemens’ experiments with electricity, installations began in Poland as early as the 1890s. The history of lifts is inextricably linked to the people whose labour built and maintained them, and to those whose lives were transformed by their use. Initially viewed as a symbol of luxury, they gradually became integrated into the everyday lives of most society. These devices have changed the appearance of many cities and the layout of floors in residential and hotel buildings. They were created as technical devices. However, they also stand as monuments of engineering art and historical documents. The historical lifts preserved in Poland are mostly products of German (Prussian) and Austrian factories. Now, they are part of the shared Polish-German and Polish-Austrian heritage and history. This article aims to fill a research gap by examining the role of human involvement in the development of the lift industry in partitioned Poland. It summarises previously unexplored data, contributing to the existing discussion on this topic and laying the groundwork for further research.