Our history
Tradition  ·  Experience  ·  Professionalism

Rome wasn't built in a day - this popular saying is well related to vicissitudes of the enterprise called nowadays: Okręgowe Przedsiębiorstwo Geodezyjno - Kartograficzne (OPGK) (Kraków Regional Surveying and Carthographic Company Ltd.). Before OPGK got its present form it had been transformed several times; changed were names of companies and organization units out of which, finally one, coherent enterprise was formed.

On the Order from 9th February 1949 on foundation of the National Surveying Enterprise, the first post-war national state enterprise was founded in Kraków - Krakowski Oddział Państwowego Przedsiębiorstwa Mierniczego w Warszawie (Cracow Division of the National Surveying Enterprise in Warsaw).

The new enterprise carried out its activities in the South-Eastern Poland. Then the further activities followed; organization of the Cracow Division was entrusted to Zbigniew Skąpski M.Sc., who was at the same time appointed as the first director of the Division. Few days later an important historical fact took place - KOPPM received its first order. It included preparation of maps in 1:5000 and 1:10 000 scales for the area involved in the project of Nowa Huta covering about 3000 hectares of grounds.

In the same 1949, Państwowe Przedsiębiorstwo Fotogrametrii i Kartografii - PPFK (National Enterprise of Photogrammetry and Cartography) was set up in Warsaw. The fact was important because soon after that (March 1950) division of PPFK was created in Cracow - that was the unit that may be considered one of the roots of the present Cracow enterprise. So there were two "sister corporations" acting in Cracow at the same time. After a year and a half the PPFK division became an independent unit, called Krakowskie Okręgowe Przedsiębiorstwo Kartograficzne - KOPK (Cracow Regional Cartographic Enterprise). It was also 1951 when the division of the KOPPM in Cracow was transferred into an independent unit with its own economic accountability, called Krakowskie Okręgowe Przedsiębiorstwo Miernicze - KOPM (Cracow Regional Surveying Enterprise).

Soon, both autonomous companies were merged into one body. In 1953 KOPK was incorporated to KOPM, creating an independent organization unit called III Wydział Fotogrametryczny (3rd Photogrammetry Department). The Department, in spite of its incorporation into organization of the KOPM, maintained its previous structure. It was close to the idea of providing both the geodetic and the cartographic services by one company.

On 1st January 1954, in Cracow, started its activities Wydział Produkcyjny Przedsiębiorstwa Geodezyjnego Gospodarki Komunalnej "Wschód" w Warszawie - WPPGGK (Production Department of Geodesy Enterprise of the Community Management "East" in Warsaw). It was the beginning of the balanced period; three companies of one service branch acted in Cracow at that time. It was not before 1st January 1974 when the government decisions merged KOPM with WPGGK, which created Okręgowe Przedsiębiorstwo Geodezyjno-Kartograficzne w Krakowie (Regional Land Surveying and Cartographic Enterprise in Cracow). That was the day when on the Polish market of geodetic services appeared an old company, formed of the previously mentioned firms, under the new name that has been functioning up till now.

Since 1962 the Main Director of the enterprise was Adam Koncewicz, M.Sc. It was under his management when the company had reached its most extensive development, engaging almost 1500 of employees at the end of 70-ties.

The basic organisations in the structure of the company were always production departments: Zakład Fotogrametrii (Photogrammetry Institute), Zakład Geodezji Miejskiej (Institute of Municipal Geodesy), Zakład Pomiarów Inwestycyjnych (Division of Setting-out Surveys), Zakład Topo-Karto (Topo - Karto Institute). There were also: Wydział Reprodukcji Kartograficznej (Department of Cartographic Reproduction), Wydział Opracowań Autogrametrycznych (Department of Autogrammetric Preparations), Wydział Informatyki i ETO (ETO and IT Department), Institutes in Tarnów, Nowy Sącz and Zakopane. People employed in OPGK identified with these institutes, which had their own production tasks and worked for success of their own and of the whole company.

In 1992 after 30 years of managing the Company, director Adam Koncewicz retired. After a competition, Zbigniew Głogowski, M.Sc. was chosen for his successor. Privatization negotiations with Ministerstwo Gospodarki Przestrzennej i Budownictwa (Ministry of Spatial Management and Building) resulted in registration of the Kraków Regional Surveying and Carthographic Company Ltd. on 6th December 1993 in the District Court in Kraków Centre. The company begun its activity on 1st March 1994 taking over into leasing assets of the wound up state enterprise of the same company name. In 1999 the Company celebrated its anniversary: 50 years of activity. The ceremony took place in one of the most estimated places in Kraków - the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre.

After an official welcome and VIP's speeches on the theatre stage was the decoration of OPGK persons of merit with the state and the company awards. Totally 37 persons were decorated.

In the theatre foyer, during the reception, hosts and their guests held interesting talks about the past time and the prospective for the future. For that future that has already became the present time.

2000-2002 were spent on the further investments in the new technologies, especially digital photogrammetry and the spatial information systems. Our Company is well-prepared, in the means of technology and organization, for the prospective tasks resulting from accession of Poland to the European Union. We have already acquired experiences in realization of LIPIS-type tasks on a high-difficulty object. To maintain and improve the quality of our works and services we have introduced the Quality Management System acc. to the ISO 9001:2000. Relation from the ISO certification is available on our site at the "Current events"