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Peasantry in Kraków in the Early Modern Period – from Serfdom to Citizenship

Information about the author: PhD, Associate Professor at UKEN, historian, University of the National Education Commission, Kraków, Institute of History and Archival Studies, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0049-4210 

Abstract: The paper discusses the issue of peasants penetrating into the city of Kraków in the era of an economic system based on manorialism and serfdom. It presents both the legal, and the illegal ways used by subjects to migrate from villages into cities, including the circumstances of being granted urban citizenship and landlords’ attempts to reclaim their runaway rural subjects.

Keywords: peasantry, serfdom, migrations, labour market, urban citizenship

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.01 

Previously Unknown Facts about Celestat and Shooting Contests in the Light of Kraków’s Mediaeval and Early Modern Municipal Accounts

Information about the author: PhD, historian, Associate Curator at the Museum of Kraków, Celestat, a branch of the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3214-0003 

Abstract: The aim of the paper is to present previously unknownfacts about Celestat and shooting contests recently uncovered in Kraków’s mediaeval and early modern municipal books of accounts. In the introduction the author outlines the present state of research on source material pertaining to this issue, starting from 1821, i.e. from the publication of the Statutes of the Marksmen’s School from the years 1562–1564 (Statuty) which originally appeared in the currently lost book of Fowler Brotherhood law (Prawo kurkowe); furthermore, special credit is given to Ambroży Grabowski who published extensively on the subject of Kraków’s shooting range and the Fowler Brotherhood in the course of his comprehensive research on the history of Kraków in the Old Poland period which involved an analysis of the original municipal accounts. This part of the paper also offers an overview of the source publications of Franciszek Piekosiński and the state of research on the complex of Kraków’s mediaeval and early modern books of accounts.
In the main body of the paper, the author presents previously unknown facts about Celestat and shooting contests discovered in the course of preliminary archival research into municipal accounts, and the findings are divided into four categories: construction and renovation works pertaining to Celestat; purchase of prizes for the shooting contests; cost of preparation and coordination of the competition for the title of Fowler King (mostly the construction of a shooting pole), and the cost of annual parties organized at Celestat to honour the best marksman in town. The first section presents data documenting the renovation of Celestat in 1398 and sheds new light on the construction works connected with the erection of a new shooting range and the headquarters of the Fowler Brotherhood at Mikołajska Gate in the years 1564–1565 which were supervised by the city architect Gabriel Słoninka. The second category of expenses presents the summary of the annual costs which the Kraków City Council spent on the purchase of prizes for the winners of crossbow and black powder weapons shooting contests. These specific facts were also used to conclusively confirm the authenticity of Statuty published in 1821 by Konstanty Majeranowski.
The last section focuses on the city’s expenditure on the festivities organized at Celestat each year to entertain the city’s councillors and the current shooting champion. In the conclusion of the paper the author presents examples of using information from Kraków’s books of accounts from the Old Poland period, as well as other series of archival documents generated by the municipal office, to extend and update knowledge about the artefacts from the Fowler Brotherhood’s collection at the Museum of Kraków.

Keywords: Kraków, Celestat, the Fowler Brotherhood, Fowler King, municipal book of accounts, the Old Poland period

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.02

„De eine rechte wedewe unde einsam is, de setten eren höpen up godt…”. A Couple of Remarks on the Mystery Early Modern Chalice Funded by a Certain Widow in the Collection of the Museum of Kraków

Information about the author: MA, art historian, Assistant Curator at the Museum of Kraków, Department of the History and Art of Kraków in the Middle Ages at the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0214-0264 

Abstract: The paper is an attempt at a characterization of an early modern chalice which has been a part of the collection of the Museum of Kraków since 1975. The artefact has not been studied in detail to date – it was only briefly mentioned in a catalogue accompanying an exhibition dedicated to the cultural ties connecting Kraków and Budapest. The liturgical vessel was funded by a widow named Anna Blankenburg-Zarten, a representative of a moderately rich Pomeranian noble family. It is with Western Pomerania that we should associate the origin of this chalice, however, it is impossible to determine the specific place where it was manufactured in the light of the scarce sources that are available. The chalice was most likely crafted in the first half of the 17th century. It reveals many features which make it similar to artefacts from the area of Western Pomerania, e.g. the vessel from the church in Rarwin dated to 1651 which is deposited at the Museum of Middle Pomerania in Słupsk.

Keywords: chalice, early modern goldsmithery, foundation inscription, Anna Blankenburg, Western Pomerania, coats of arms, German noble families

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.03

Phaleristics of the Liberation of Kraków in 1918

Information about the author: Professor of legal science, historian of political and legal doctrines, Professor at Jagiellonian University, Mayor of Kraków since 2002, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2097-2937

Abstract: The paper presents badges and medals struck in Kraków during World War I against a broad political background. Following the siege of the city by Russian forces, from 25 May 1915 Kraków’s municipality issued forty thousand badges that authorized the bearers’ right to remain in the fortress. The badge is made from brass, with a diameter of 40 mm. In the central part of the badge there is the letter K, with the date 19 / 15 featuring on both sides, and a serial number underneath. Since the badge was compared to tags worn by dogs for identification, it was popularly called ‘the dog’s mark’ (Pol. psia marka.)
To commemorate the liberation of Kraków from Austrian rule in 1918 Adam Bernardyński struck a badge featuring the Polish eagle (whose dimensions are 36 × 31 mm), the date of Kraków’s liberation, and an excerpt from a church hymn. Made from white metal, the badge was pinned onto a red, silk rosette, with a diameter of 100 mm and an inscription saying: Pamiątka pierwszej rocznicy oswobodzenia Krakowa od rządów austriackich 30/X 1918 – 30/X 1919 Krak. Koło Pań TSL [Memento of the first anniversary of the liberation of Kraków from Austrian rule 30 Oct 1918 – 30 Oct 1919, the Kraków Ladies’ Association TSL.]
In 1924 Związek Uczestników Oswobodzenia Krakowa [the Union of Participants of Kraków’s Liberation] decided to strike a Cross of Kraków’s Liberation whose dimensions are 50 × 50 mm. Placed on top of the cross is an eagle with a crown on its head and Kraków’s coat of arms on its chest. The date 31.X / 1918 features on the horizontal arms of the cross, and the name KRAKÓW can be seen on the bottom vertical arm. The reverse of the cross is smooth, with only the serial number and the hallmarks struck on it. The cross was worn pinned onto an amaranthine ribbon with two white stripes on the sides.
The paper also discusses the medal designed by Jan Raszka,with a diameter of 40 mm, representing an allegory of Poland’s victory over its former invaders. Struck in bronze, it was worn on a blue, white and blue, or white and red ribbon. Featuring on the obverse, in the foreground is a shield with the Piast Eagle carried by a warrior sporting a typical Slav hairstyle, and standing opposite him, in the background, there are two other warriors holding shields decorated with double-headed eagles representing Poland’s former invaders. On the reverse of the medal there is Wawel Royal Castle in the top section and underneath an inscription saying: NA PAMIĄTKĘ OSWOBODZENIA KRAKOWA OD ZABORCÓW 31 PAŹDZ. 1918 [In memory of the liberation of Kraków from foreign invaders 31 Oct. 1918]

Keywords: phaleristics, medals, badges, liberation of Kraków 1918

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.04

How the Red Army Captured Kraków in January 1945

Information about the author: historian, Collections Curator at the Museum of Kraków, Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory, Pomorska Street branch, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0890-8382 

Abstract: The aim of the article is to present the capturing of Kraków by the Red Army on 19 January 1945 preceded by a description of Germans’ preparations for the defence of the city. The author focuses on the accounts of the events’ direct witnesses written at the time and reconstructs the course of events by complementing these accounts with literature on the subject and archival records generated by the Red Army. He also introduces into the debate previously unknown or scarcely used memoire source texts, such as monastic chronicles and parish chronicles. These sources document how the local residents construed the German preparations for the defence of the city and interpreted the course of that campaign itself, while the character of these preparations raised the residents’ justified concern about their own lives and the city’s survival. The author attempts to complement the image of the capturing of the city in terms of the perception of the course of the defensive campaign and its duration. The course of the battle of Kraków and the perception thereof based on the above-mentioned sources differs from the concise, unemotional descriptions included in battle logs, and from the fixed notions existing in collective memory.
Intensive preparations for the defence of Kraków against the probable uprising and the inevitable offensive of the Red Army lasted from the end of July 1944 until January 1945. Germans had created an entire system of fortifications which encompassed the outskirts of the city, as well as its inner districts, including the historical city centre. The author brings up researchers’ latest findings concerning the construction of fortifications as part of the Ortstützpunkt Krakau (Local Fortified Base) project.
The Red Army captured the city as a result of the Vistula-Oder offensive. In the battle of Kraków Soviet forces used their full range of air force, artillery, tanks and infantry. In the course of the battle, a unique flanking manoeuvre was used which involved the cooperation of two general armies and one air force army whose military potential guarranteed success. Avoiding siege and highly destructive street fighting in a fortified city was the result of the situation on the front, a coincidence of many factors which have been recounted and presented in the present article.
In contrast to the overwhelming scale of war damage that devastated Polish cities in the course of the last year of the war, Kraków’s fate seems exceptional. Was that really the case? The paper written by Dr Ludwika Majewska which can also be found in the present volume of Krzysztofory discusses the preparations for and the course of the battle of Łódź, captured on 19 January 1945. This will give readers the opportunity to compare the situation of Poland’s two largest cities at the time. The identical date of the capturing of the two cities became the starting point for discussion. Considering the diverse history and the different character of the two cities, the similarities between the two battles over their capturing may be quite surprising.

Keywords: Kraków, Red Army, Ivan Konev, 19 January 1945, manoeuvre, Korovnikov, 1st Ukrainian Front, Łódź, artillery, air raids, Fallkörpersperre

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.05

„We Are Fortunate to Watch the Enemy in His Final Hours.” Public Feelings among the Residents of Łódź in the Last Months of the German Occupation

Information about the author: PhD, historian, Senior Assistant Curator at the Scientific Section of the Museum of Independence Traditions in Łódź, Radogoszcz Martyrdom Memorial Branch, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4938-5867 

Abstract: World War II in Łódź was a time of great terror, massive surveillance and spreading propaganda. At the beginning of the war the city was incorporated into the German state which intensified the violence towards non-German nationals. The change in the city’s social structure became visible already in the first few months of the German occupation when German authorities carried out the extermination of the local intelligentsia and conducted the massive transportation of Polish and Jewish families to General Government. Following the Geman invasion of the Soviet Union the direction and purpose of transportations changed since Polish citizens were from then on exploited as forced labourers in German factories and farms in the heart of the Third Reich. From 1940 onward the Jewish population was concentrated in the ghettos and exterminated. The arrival of the front in 1945 was eagerly anticipated by Poles and a handful of Jewish survivors alike. The Germans did everything in their power to not let the front reach the city, refusing to admit that their days in Łódź are numbered.
The aim of the present paper is to portray the public feelings of Łódź’s residents of Polish, German and Jewish nationalities in the final period of the German occupation using the surviving accounts and memoirs.

Keywords: Łódź, Third Reich, Red Army, Radogoszcz, Poles, Jews, Germans, front

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.06

Marian Sigmund – Interior and Furniture Designer. A Brief Characterization of His Life and Work

Information about the author: art historian, Collections Curator at the Museum of Kraków, Department of History and Art of Contemporary Kraków at the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8625-9405 

Abstract: Marian Sigmund (1902–1993) lived to a ripe old age and the complicated history of the 20th century had a powerful impact on his life and work. On the one hand, he was an observer of history, on the other hand he encountered historically significant phenomena which transformed the future of Polish design. He was, indeed, an artist who actively shaped that history. Sigmund was born in Błudniki in Podolia. He attended a common school and a grammar school (gymnasium) in Lviv. In 1919 he fought in the Polish-Soviet war, serving in the 11th regiment of field artillery. In 1921 Sigmund began his studies at the Faculty of Architecture of the Lviv Polytechnic. He then moved to the Faculty of Interior Design at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts (which was later renamed Academy of Fine Arts). From that moment, his life became permanently connected with Poland’s capital.
He worked for the ŁAD Artists’ Cooperative and participated in the Cooperative’s group exhibitions and commissions, e.g. creating designs for ministerial interiors. Sigmund made his debut at the Polish General Exhibition in Poznań in 1929. An important landmark in his career was the show titled Sztuka wnętrza [Art of the Interior] (1935/1936) held in the exhibition rooms of the Institute of Art Propaganda in Warsaw which he, as the director of ŁAD, also curated. Sigmund also worked as a teacher at secondary vocational schools. The outbreak of World War II found him at a family estate in Wojniłów where he was vacationing with his relatives. He failed to reach the 11th regiment field artillery to which he had been assigned and, therefore, had to remain in hiding. He eventually reached Warsaw in 1943 and spend the time of German occupation there. He was a soldier in the Home Army (Armia Krajowa). He worked for the Bureau of Information and Propaganda designing posters and logos. He was the creator of the postal stamp used by the Field Mail service during the Warsaw Uprising. Following the capitulation of the uprising on 4 October 1944 he was transported to a transition camp in Lamsdorf, and then to Murnau VII A where he became involved in creating cultural life for the camp inmates.
After the war he moved to Kraków and worked as a profesor at the Faculty of Interior Design at the Academy of Fine Arts. During the construction of Nowa Huta Sigmund was commissioned to design the interiors for the Miastoprojekt Kraków company (he held the position of chief designer until 1956). It was him who designed such wellknown interiors as the Administrative Buildings Z and S of Lenin Steelworks and Nowa Huta’s cinemas: Świt and Światowid. At the same time, the artist was experiencing challenges in his personal life, as his first wife Maja Nowaczyńska (1907–1952), passed away in 1952. In 1955 he married his second wife, Halina Jastrzębowska (1907–2003).
As a designer he participated in numerous projects, commissions and exhibitions. Among his many professional collaborations was that with Bentwood Furniture Company in Jasienica. In the 1960s he designed the interiors of the hospital and research department of the Kraków Medical Academy in Prokocim. He also designed the office interiors at Wawel Royal Castle, as well as the stately rooms of the Office of the Council of Ministers at Wawel Hill (suites, guest rooms, dining rooms, drawing room, foyer, cloakroom and the lobby). Apart from his work as an interior designer, he also created paintings, drawings, costume designs, stage scenery and, occasionally, film set designs. Marian Sigmund died on 7 November 1993 in Kraków and was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery.
In terms of formal or stylistic features, his designs reveal influences of the simplified Biedermeier style which was typical of the interwar period, and of the Polish variant of art déco. After the war he turned to socialist realism, and then experimented with various materials which was a trademark in the field of design in the mid-1950s. His oeuvre as a whole is coherent and logical. Sigmund was a student of Józef Czajkowski which is reflected in his works oscillating between Biedermeier and art déco, as in the case of Wojciech Jastrzębowski, or in his socialist realist designs which combine these two experiences. Sigmund’s most creative and independent designs were produced in the late 1950s, which was overall a very fruitful period for designers. Especially unique is the chair type A587. On the one hand, it combines the logic and ideas of the pre-war ŁAD Cooperative, while on the other hand it is a modern, independent and absolutely unique object in itself. This particular design corresponds with similar creations from that period produced by such designers as Maria Chomentowska, Czesław Knothe, Jan Kurzątkowski, Władysław Wincze, and Roman Modzelewski.

Keywords: Marian Sigmund, history of Polish design, ŁAD Artists’ Cooperative, Nowa Huta, Bentwood Furniture Factory in Jasienica, Wawel Royal Castle, furniture making, chair type A587, art déco, the interwar period, socialist realism, the 1950s, the 1960s

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.07

The Role of Monuments in a City: the Case of Kraków. A Contribution to the Discussion on the History of Kraków’s Monuments

Information about the author: art historian and Collections Curator at the Department of the History and Art of Kraków in the Modern Period at the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5723-7784 

Abstract: Monuments – sculptural or sculptural-architectural creations – are permanently inscribed in the landscape of many cities. In the literature on the subject, they are often referred to as ‘carriers’ or ‘institutions’ of social memory, as their role is to commemorate, create and consolidate our collective memory about eminent personages and socially significant events, thus shaping community spirit, identity, and local or national pride in a shared past. They also reflect ideas and values (social, political, artistic and universal) that are significant for a given generation, becoming an important source of knowledge about society. As long as a monument is being noticed and present among the people who encounter it, sometimes stirring extreme emotions and provoking public debate about its content, form and location, it fulfils its symbolic function of the ‘carrier of memory’ and resists being reduced to a purely decorative element of the cityscape.
Just how consequential the role of monuments is for the history of society can clearly be seen in the case of Kraków which has been labelled ‘the city of monuments’ since the beginning of the 19th century. In the era of the partitions, when Poland lost its independence as a state, it was the city of Kraków (under Austrian rule) which saw an outpouring of monuments in its public space. Kraków’s statues mostly explored patriotic and national themes, reflecting Polish national values and ideas. The 20th century (after 1989), and especially the 21st century also proved conducive to the art of monument-making. Similar to many other Polish cities at the time, Kraków became obsessed with a sort of ‘monument mania’ – a phenomenon which would sometimes reveal its wild, chaotic side. It was at that time that the city experienced democratization of public space, as monuments became an easily accessible medium both for the authorities, and for the various social groups which used it to promote a diversity of significant values and historical narratives, occasionally sparking conflicts between different variants of social memory and provoking heated discussions on the role of monuments in a city.

Keywords: monument, monument mania, memory, Kraków

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.08

Kraków Philosopher Mirosław Dzielski and the Historical Contexts of His Social Philosophy, Part 1

Information about the author: PhD, historian, philosopher, public security studies graduate, author of academic books and papers, president of Stowarzyszenie Filmowe Trzeci Tor [Third Track Film Association], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7211-1955 

Abstract: Using Mirosław Dzielski’s writings, archival materials, memoirs and historical analyses, the author of the paper attempts to describe Dzielski’s activity and shares his reflections on this historical figure. The paper presents Dzielski in the entourage of the times in which he was socially active and practised philosophy. It discusses what the author considers to be the most crucial pillars of Dzielski’s social philosophy, namely: revolutions, the Light-Life Movement, John Paul II, and Solidarity. Dzielski’s character and thought have been portrayed from the angle of these issues. The paper consists of two parts. The first part presents the philosopher’s figure and the first of the four pillars of his social philosophy, i.e. revolutions, while the remaining three pillars are discussed in the second part of the text.

Keywords: Mirosław Dzielski, Kraków, Polish People’s Republic, philosophy of history, Polish philosophy, Solidarity, John Paul II, revolution, revolution of the spirit, the Church, liberalism, capitalism, socialism, independent thought

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.09

Companions or Guardians of Memory? A Case Study of the Museum of KL Plaszow

Information about the author: cultural anthropologist, Director of the Museum Department, Museum – Memorial Site of KL Plaszow in Kraków. German Nazi Labour and Concentration Camp (1942–1945) (forthcoming), https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1449-1878 

Abstract: The paper describes the process of establishing the Museum of KL Plaszow in Kraków (MKLP) and the social consequences thereof. The sequence of actions undertaken in the formal sphere resulted in the post-camp area losing its neutral character, which in turn met with opposition from the local community of Kraków. Most of all, a redefinition of the understanding of the concept of a memorial site took place in the public discourse, and there was a growing need to identify the primary memory of the said space. The ongoing dispute, axiological in nature, had an impact on all the engaged parties, and in the case of the Museum it led not only to some concessions regarding the form of commemoratiom (e.g. lack of a fence), but also to the reflection which, in turn, results in the gradual change in our interpretation of the memorial site itself and the role of its guardian. And even though from the perspective of scholars (e.g. Nora, Bauman, Kapralski) this particular conflict, as well as other, similar ones, are an inherent part of contemporaneity, it becomes a challenge for an institution which understands theoretical analyses to rework and internalize this process in its day-to-day practice.


Keywords: memorial site, camp, cemetery, institution, museum, society, conflict

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.10

Our Past Ought to Be Our Pride.” Constructing a City’s Identity at the Museum of the History of Radom

Information about the author: PhD, Associate Professor at UMCS, historian, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (UMCS), https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2682-748X 

Keywords: identity, historical exhibition, multimedia exhibit, VR

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.11

Stage Set-Exhibition Wrocław 1945–2016

Information about the author: PhD, historian, cultural anthropologist, lecturer, Collections Curator at the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1033-0113 

Keywords: Wrocław, stage set-exhibition, Depot History Centre, urban heritage, contemporary history, Wrocław – the meeting place, affect and exposition

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.12 

The Marriage to the River Vistula Ceremony in Dęblin, or How to Build Museum Narratives

Information about the author: historian, museologist, socio-cultural animator and cultural manager, Director of the Polish Air Force Museum in Dęblin in the years 2017–2022, President of the Lublin Branch of the Association of Polish Museologists, licensed tourist guide accredited by the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK)

Keywords: Polish Air Force Museum in Dęblin, marriage to the River Vistula, marriage of Rodło to the River Vistula, Poland’s marriage to the sea in Puck in 1920, integrating activities, community, museum event

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.13

Thesaurus Cracoviensis – Artefacts Interpretation Centre. Genesis, Problems, Anxiety. A (Non)objective Evaluation of the Project

Information about the author: historian, Senior Collections Curator at the Museum of Kraków, Director of Thesaurus Cracoviensis – Artefacts Interpretation Centre, a branch of the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1276-5133 

Keywords: musealium, museum holdings, audience, collection, interpretation, conservation, accessibility, openness

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.14

The Conservation Process of the Kraków Nativity Scene #MHK-203/Xa

Information about the author: specialist in the field of artistic craftsmanship, Collections’ Conservation Department at the Museum of Kraków

Keywords: Kraków nativity scene, art conservation, Museum of Kraków, Kraków nativity scene contests, Roman Woźniak

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.15

The Chronicle of Activity of the Museum of Kraków in 2022

Information about the author: historian, Collections Curator at the Museum of Kraków, Deputy Program Director at the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8460-0078 

Keywords: Museum of Kraków, Krzysztofory, SPOTKA – Cracovians’ Meeting Hall, Polish Scouting Movement Museum and Centre, Jugowice Fort, Museum of Kraków’s strategy for the years 2022–2027, Vistula. Re-Creation, Kraków’s DNA

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.16

Dr Jacek Laberschek (1950–2023)

Information about the author: Professor, historian, University of the National Education Commission in Kraków, Institute of History and Archival Studies, Curator at the Museum of Kraków, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0061-1808 

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.17

Henryk Świątek (1933–2023)

Information about the author: historian, retired Curator at the Museum of Kraków, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9730-5796 

doi.org/10.32030/KRZY.2023.18