Although Baltic studies at the University of Warsaw have a quite a long tradition, as the Lithuanian curriculum at the Faculty of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw was open already in 1988, the beginning of Baltic studies in Warsaw from the institutional point of view can be dated 1990, when, at the Faculty of Polish Studies the Department of Baltic Philology (with Prof. Wojciech Smoczyński as its head) was established. In 1994 the Department of Baltic Philology merged with the Department of General Linguistics and thus the Department of General Linguistics and Baltic Studies came into being. It was chaired subsequently by Prof. Jadwiga Sambor, Prof. Romuald Huszcza, and Prof. Jadwiga Linde-Usiekniewicz. In 2009, as a result of restructuring, the Department was renamed into the Department of General Linguistics, East Asian Comparative Linguistics and Baltic Studies (with its first head Prof. Axel Holvoet and later – Prof. Romuald Huszcza), within which the Subdepartment of Baltic Studies was created, chaired in turn by Dr. Ana Romančuk (2009–2013), Dr. Inesa Szulska (2013–2014) and currently by Dr. Joanna Tabor.
Baltic Studies have been organised in our Department since 1995, initially as long-cycle graduate studies. The enrolment for first-cycle (undergraduate) and second-cycle (graduate) studies started in 2007 and in 2010 respectively. In 2012 the programmes of studies were modified according to the National Qualifications Framework (Krajowe Ramy Kwalifikacyjne). Among journals and book series published by the Department, there are Linguistica Baltica (an international yearbook of linguistics, published 1992–2002), Baltic Linguistics (an international yearbook of linguistics, since 2010), Baltica Varsoviensia (monographic works and collections of articles, since 1998), Prace Bałtystyczne. Język, literatura, kultura (collections of articles, since 2003).