On known and less known relations of Leonhard Euler with Poland

TL;DR

This paper explores Leonhard Euler's lesser-known connections with Poland, especially Gdańsk, highlighting his interactions with Polish scientists and the origins of the Königsberg Bridges Problem in that region.

Contribution

It uncovers Euler's relationships with Polish researchers and details the Polish origins of the famous graph theory problem associated with Gdańsk.

Findings

Euler had significant but lesser-known contacts with Polish scientists.

The Königsberg Bridges Problem originated in Gdańsk, linking Euler's work to Polish history.

Euler's interactions with Poland influenced the development of graph theory.

Abstract

Leonhard Euler was working for the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (Russia) and Prussian Academy of Sciences during various periods of his life. It is not a popular knowledge about Euler's contacts with Polish scientists of his era and Poland in general. The aim of this work is to shed some light on this relationship--mainly with the researchers from the city of Gda\'nsk (formerly Danzig). As a matter of fact, the famous K\"onigsberg Bridges Problem, arguably the beginning of the graph theory and topology, originated in Gda\'nsk.