Despre schitul Corni (ţinutul Putna), ctitoria marelui vornic Alexandru Ramandi, metoc al mănăstirii Dohiar de la Muntele Athos

Author(s): Petronel Zahariuc / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 70/2024

The present study deals with a little-known skete in the area of the former Putna county, the Corni skete, the only one in Moldavia that was placed under the administration of the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. The skete, dedicated to the Entry of the Mother of God into the Church (Vovidenia), was located in the village of Cornii de Jos, on the Siret river, in Putna County (today a village in the commune of Tătăreşti, Bacău County). The founder of the Corni skete was Alexandru Ramandi and his wife Maria. We deal in this study also with the origin of the founder, son of the Greek Constantin Ramandi and Sultana, who climbed the hierarchical ladder in Moldavia from the second postelnic (at the beginning of the reign of Istratie Dabija) to the grand vornic of the Upper and Lower Country (under Dumitraşco Cantacuzino and Constantin Cantemir). He reached the peak of his career when he held the position of caimacam (prince's lieutenant) when John Sobieski came to Moldavia and when Constantin Cantemir died. Having accumulated wealth and influence, Alexandru and Maria Ramandi founded the Corni skete in Putna county, together with a church in the village of Vânători, near the Piatra market town. The rebuilding of the Corni skete began after 1684, during the reigns of Dumitraşco Cantacuzino and Constantin Cantemir, and it was placed under the obedience of the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos in 1689, when the Mira monastery was attached to the Vatopedi monastery on the Holy Mountain. Since the death of its founders, the Corni skete has fluctuated, with less and less information about it. In 1805, the monks of Docheiariou reclaimed the right of possession of the skete, sending to Iaşi the hieromonk and hegumen Anthim, who complained to the Metropolitan bishop Veniamim Costachi, saying that the proofs of ownership had been lost during a "rebellion" that had taken place in the Holy Mountain, and that the state of their "imperial and patriarchal" monastery was difficult. The Metropolitan bishop of Moldavia and Suceava, Veniamin Costachi, and the Bishop of Roman, Gherasim Clip-Barbovschi, accepted that the Corni skete should return to the Docheiariou monastery authority. The Romanian monks who lived in the skete left and, with the support of the people from the surrounding villages and the Roman Diocese, built a new skete in the neighboring village of Cornii de Sus, dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Thus, in the census drawn up during the new Russian occupation (1806-1812), two sketes were recorded in the villages of Cornii de Jos and Cornii de Sus: the one in Cornii de Jos, with only one inhabitant, the hegumen Anthim, and in Cornii de Sus, or nearby, the "Ţâcma skete". After 1863 the skete was abandoned and disappeared.

O pagină din istoria unui monument celebru: Bălineşti

Author(s): Ştefan S. Gorovei / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 70/2024

Recently, the church of Bălinești (Suceava County)—the famous foundation of Ioan Tăutu, Grand Chancellor of Moldavia between 1475 and 1511 during the reigns of Stephen the Great and Bogdan III—became the center of a convent for women (a transformation decided in the fall of 2021 and materialized in the summer of the following year). Before and after this particularly important and beneficial event for the future of the monument, "information" circulated in the virtual space claiming the existence of an older convent, allegedly organized by Calistru, Bishop of Rădăuți (1708–1728), as a dependency of Văratec Monastery, which supposedly ceased to exist in 1864 following the secularization of monastic properties. In a lecture presented in Suceava in November 2022 (subsequently published), the author argued against the existence of such a convent at Bălinești during the 18th–19th centuries: it is not attested by any known documents nor by works dedicated to this church. However, it cannot be ruled out that in the 18th century, an attempt to establish a skete at Bălinești may have emerged, given the challenges of maintaining the church. Continuing his research, the author identified documents that confirm this hypothesis. Furthermore, he clarified that Văratec Monastery owned half of the village of Bălinești due to a donation made in 1813–1814 by the widow of the last owner, Logothete Constantin Paladi, who had died on December 22, 1798. This ownership, which lasted only half a century (until the 1864 secularization), led some contemporary "researchers" to speculate about the existence of a skete subordinate to Văratec. However, no such skete ever existed. The "mystery" of the Bălinești skete has now been solved.

Focul din ianuarie 1880 şi Palatul domnesc din Iaşi

Author(s): Laurențiu Rădvan / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 70/2024

The history of the Princely Palace of Iaşi has often been intertwined with a scourge that has plagued the city since ancient times, fire. Fires were frequent in medieval and pre-modern towns because buildings were mostly wooden, neighborhoods were cramped and there was no adequate fire service. In the past, the palace was destroyed by fire in 1784 and 1827. With all the modernization that took place in the first half of the 19th century, fires continued to strike, but they affected smaller areas or only buildings. Such was the case with the fire that broke out on 16/28 January 1880, which had quite serious consequences over the Princely Palace. We tried to reconstruct the event with the help of archival sources and the press of the time. After the fire was put out with great difficulty, due to the very cold weather and the lack of water (which was freezing), the reconstruction process began, the palace being insured. The work was completed in the fall of 1882, and the institutions previously housed here moved in until the spring of 1883. Among them were the National Archives, the branch in Iaşi, whose evolution we have researched with the available sources. On June 5, 1883, in the presence of King Charles and Queen Elizabeth, the statue of Ştefan the Great, an older project of Iasi's citizens dating back to 1856, was unveiled in front of the finished palace. As the rebuilt building had many deficiencies, the authorities decided to erect a new one in its place, more in tune with the times in terms of facilities, which is what happened between 1906 and 1925 (the current Palace of Culture).

Kwestia ruska w obliczu powstania styczniowego z perspektywy „Gazety Narodowej” i „Słowa”

Author(s): Adam Świątek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2024

The January Uprising of 1863, unlike all the earlier Polish independence uprisings, postulated the creation of the Republic of Poland, Lithuania and Ruthenia. Military operations against Russia initiated in May 1863 in Podolia, Volhynia and Kiev region, ended in a defeat for the Poles in July 1863 (battle of Radyviliv). In the summer of 1863, it was planned to reactivate the uprising, including the participation of the Polish and Ruthenian population from the Austrian partition – Galicia. However, an attempt to involve the Ruthenians in the uprising ended in failure. The reason were the discrepancies between the interests of Poles and Ruthenians. They had been apparent for several months, dating back to the outbreak of the Uprising, or even earlier. The article analyzes the Polish texts published in Lviv’s democratic daily newspaper Gazeta Narodowa and the Ruthenian, russophilic newspaper Slovo. The discrepancies concerned a number of issues: the attitude to the borders of future Poland, the recognition of the right to Ruthenians’ national identity, the attitude to the Orthodox Church, the noble nature of the uprising, and the oppression of peasants by the Polish nobility etc. The analysis of these texts shows the lack of divergence in the interests of the Polish and Ruthenian communities in Galicia in the face of the national uprising.

Duchowieństwo Kościoła katolickiego wobec polskich zrywów niepodległościowych w XIX wieku – przypadek Ludwika Łętowskiego (1786–1868)

Author(s): Andrzej Synowiec / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2024

The aim of this article is to showcase the complex problem of the attitude of Catholic Church, and specifically its clergy, to the Polish uprisings in the 19th century. Ludwik Łętowski was a member of the Senate of the Republic of Cracow, who first strongly supported the November Uprising – this “historical mission of Poles,” – and then, as an auxiliary bishop of Cracow, strongly opposed the Cracow Uprising, which he called a “comic brawl.” Łętowski also criticized the January Uprising. It is difficult to unequivocally assess the attitude of the Catholic Church to the Polish national uprisings. It can certainly be said that the clergy in the Polish lands were involved in great national events and tried not to stand aside. Łętowski was a man of paradoxes, which was also reflected in his attitude to Polish uprisings in the 19th century. The attitude of the Polish clergy and its role in the 19th-century struggles for independence have not yet been exhaustively discussed in historiography, and the example of Łętowski does not allow to make simple generalizations.

Editorial

Author(s): Jaroslav Stanovský / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Martin Drozda. Vesnická obec na Moravě mezi osvícenstvím a zrušením poddanství na příkladu privátních statků olomoucké kapituly.

Author(s): Daniel Kadlec / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2024

Review of: Martin Drozda. Vesnická obec na Moravě mezi osvícenstvím a zrušením poddanství na příkladu privátních statků olomoucké kapituly. (Brno: Matice moravská, 2023.) 333 p. ISBN: 978-80-87709-34-4.

Pisanie historii regionu w twórczości Janiny Perathoner „Wenedy”

Author(s): Wioletta Poturała / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

Janina Perathoner Weneda – nauczycielka i pisarka zaangażowała się w tworzenie prozy o charakterze parahistorycznym skoncentrowanej na regionie konińskim. W tekstach ożywiała postacie znane z historii i legend. Zaplanowała stworzenie przekroju dziejów Konina i regionu poprzez wieki. Jej dorobek tworzą głównie powieści historyczne, m.in. Zmierzch chwały (historia rodu hrabiów Kwileckich), Doktor Zemelius (książka quasi biograficzna o Janie Zemełce), Zofia Kamila (powieść oparta na motywach biograficznych pisarki Zofii Urbanowskiej). Ostatnią książką Wenedy pt. Zapomniany Mocarz jest fabularyzowana biografia Stanisława Staszica – patrona szkoły, z którą związana była całe zawodowe życie. Swej dydaktycznej misji nie zakończyła wraz z przejściem na emeryturę, poprzez pisarstwo oddziałując na kolejne pokolenia

Tragikomedia Johanna von Kitschera: między historią, literaturą a teatrem

Author(s): Elwira Buszewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 01/2024

The article places in a broader context the drama by the Saxon Renaissance writer Johann von Kitscher, Tragicocomedia sive de Iherosolomitana profectione Ilustrissimi Principis Pomeriani, published in Leipzig in 1501, devoted to the expedition of Bogusław X, the Duke of Pomerania,, to Jerusalem, and being the first humanist drama in the Duchy of Pomerania. After a brief profile of the Renessaince author and a recollection of the work’s genesis and its significance for theatrical life in Szczecin, an important context of the work is discussed, namely the Renaissance “debate on theatre”, which Kitscher tried to present as a “worthy” thing, recalling the performance with which Duke Bogusław and his companions were honoured at a feast in Venice. Finally, Kitscher’s creative workshop and the techniques with which he transforms history into literature are presented. It is also noted that thanks to the presence of the Polish translation of the work (also with Latin version) on the reading market, more readers can take a closer look at it and ask themselves whether this text is still “alive”.

Paula Wendta sceniczne wizje przeszłości Pomorza

Author(s): Bartosz Wójcik / Language(s): Polish Issue: 01/2024

The article compiles and analyzes five stage works by Szczecin writer and merchant Paul Wendt (1840–1919): Colberg 1807 (1863), Sidonia von Borck (1874), Ein deutscher Brutus (1880), Die Rose von Thiessow (1893), and Arkona (1913). All are united by historical themes – from the Middle Ages to the 19th century – and reference to the region with which the author was associated: Pomerania. A popular author during his lifetime, whose works were regularly staged on the most prestigious stages in the region and beyond, today he is virtually forgotten. In addition to recalling his silhouette and his most characteristic works, the article compiles and analyzes a selected textual corpus. With the support of the instrumentarium of classical hermeneutics, extended by the accessories of social literary history, it becomes possible to demonstrate the guiding historical thought of Paul Wendt. This is despite a number of apparent contradictions between the individual works: national, ethnic, social, cultural or religious constructs represented in some of them are seemingly contradicted in others. Yet Paul Wendt’s scenic visions of Pomerania’s past are united by a common denominator of perceptions of the region’s past, strongly oriented towards the writer’s present.

Orașele Botoșani, Hârlău, Târgu Frumos și Roman într-un plan militar din 1788

Author(s): Dan Dumitru Iacob / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 32/2024

The article aims to analyse and publish a military plan from the Russian-Austrian-Turkish War (1787–1792), referring to eight military camps from the vicinity of few towns and villages in the Principality of Moldavia, represented on the map in distinctsquares. The Habsburg troops under Field Marshal Prince Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who moved from Hotin to Roman in October 1788 to occupy the winter cantonments, were temporarily encamped in these sites. Because the documentary potential of the plan can be exploited from the perspective of several research areas, we first highlighted the military context in which the plan was drawn up. We also identified the units of the Habsburg army that moved from Hotin to Roman and were temporarily stationed in the camps along the route. Secondly, with the help of narrative and cartographic sources, we detailed the route the Austrian troops travelled from Hotin to Roman. Thirdly, we analysed the topographic surveys of the areas in which the camps were established and of the localities represented on the map: Mileanca, Nicșeni, Botoșani, Flămânzi, Hârlău, Târgu Frumos, Șcheia, and Roman. As the plan is not very precise and detailed, we have tried to re-establish the area’s toponymy and highlight some structural characteristics and architectural landmarks of the localities represented in the plan.

Between Western Pomerania and Greater Poland: The Formation of the District Public Security Office in Gorzów Wielkopolski in 1945 and Its First Heads

Author(s): Dariusz A. Rymar / Language(s): English Issue: 01/2024

The article describes the hitherto unclear beginning of the activities of the District Public Security Office in Gorzów. According to the research, the Gorzów PUBP was established on 17 May 1945. Its organisers were three officers sent here from the West Pomeranian Provincial Office of Public Security. On 26 July 1945, the PUBP was subordinated to the WUBP in Poznań. The first two PUBP heads, Marian Wojtalik and Henryk Bajszczak, were regarded by their superiors as completely unprepared to carry out their duties. Wojtalik ceased to hold office after two months, and his successor turned out to be a habitual criminal: he himself took little interest in the activities of his subordinates, tolerated their unlawful activities, and engaged in extra-legal activities himself. It is difficult to explain why he was not convicted of them despite the numerous consistent testimonies of his subordinates. He was only sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for two illegal trips to Berlin. In turn, the third head, Stanisław Zagórski, proved to be the ‘right’ one. As it turned out later, his zealotry stemmed from an obscure criminal past. The PUBP in Gorzów, for the first six months of its operation, became more known for its unlawful activities than for ensuring the settlers’ safety.

Die Slovinzen in der polnischen Publizistik 1945–1989

Author(s): Małgorzata Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk / Language(s): German Issue: 01/2024

Post-war Polish journalism presenting the fate of the native population of the Łebsko and Gardno lakes, also known as the Slovincians, sets itself various goals. There were periods when texts were subordinated to political requirements, but there were also periods when even the most inconvenient truth was revealed. Slovincians detained in Poland were the final proof of the Slavic or even Polish nature of this part of Western Pomerania, often becoming only the object for actions taken. It cannot be denied that the journalists and activists had sincere intentions to help with the abandoned post-war fate of the indigenous inhabitants of Kluki, but their actions often result in the opposite of the intended effect. Despite many attempts to build ties between Slovincians and Poland, within a few post-war decades they left their hometowns and almost all of them moved to Germany. The aim of this article is to familiarize the German-speaking reader with the image of native population of Lake Łebsko and Gardno, which in the journalism of the years 1945–1989 was presented for Polish society.

Szczecin Press Photographers 1945–1990

Author(s): Paweł Miedziński / Language(s): English Issue: 01/2024

The Importance of the Bydgoszcz Crisis in 1981 in the Political Career of Marian Jurczyk

Author(s): Michał Siedziako / Language(s): English Issue: 01/2024

The Bydgoszcz crisis was one of the turning points in Marian Jurczyk’s political career. At the time, he was at the very centre of nationwide events, being part of the National Strike Committee and a group of several representatives of the Solidarity leadership, headed by Lech Wałęsa, who held talks with representatives of the communist government, which ended with the signing of the Warsaw Agreement. Jurczyk then became convinced of the ill will of the authorities and developed a distrust of union advisors. He was also offended by the attitude of Wałęsa himself, who cut off other union leaders, including Jurczyk, from influencing decisions. In the months that followed, Jurczyk, leaning on the ranks of Solidarity membership masses, began to become progressively radicalised along with them. At the First National Congress of Solidarity Delegates, he acted as a counter-candidate to Wałęsa in the election for the presidency of the union, in an attempt to resist Wałęsa’s authoritarian style of managing Solidarity. Having learned his lesson from the Bydgoszcz crisis, Jurczyk appealed to the will and opinion of “ordinary citizens” throughout his further trade union and political career.

Antonija Mlikota, Zadar – obnova i izgradnja nakon razaranja u Drugome svjetskom ratu

Author(s): Ines Kajdiž / Language(s): English,Croatian Issue: 10/2023

Review of: -Antonija Mlikota, Zadar – obnova i izgradnja nakon razaranja u Drugome svjetskom ratu // Zadar – the reconstruction and construction after the Second World War destruction; Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 2021, 872 pages, illustrations, ISBN 978-953-0-60033-1

Kauno Šv. Kryžiaus parapijos ribos, demografinė ir ekonominė situacija 1918–1940 m.

Author(s): Dalius Surmilavičius / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 22/2024

The study focuses on examining the economic and demographic situation of the Kaunas Holy Cross Parish during the interwar period. The Holy Cross Parish was the largest in Kaunas and encompassed the districts of Šančiai, Karmelitai, Petrašiūnai, and Pažaislis. The parish included six churches: the church of the Holy Cross, the church of St. Michael the Archangel, the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the church of St. Vincent de Paul, and the church of the Gate of Dawn. The study discusses the demographic situation of the parish: birth, death, and marriage statistics and their fluctuations – revealing changes in the context of political and economic crises. The analysis also includes national conflicts between Lithuanians and Poles, particularly over the language of the Mass, which peaked in 1923 but was later resolved. From a demographic perspective, the parish was large, with official data indicating over 14,000 parishioners in 1927, although the actual number may have been higher. The economic situation is examined through an analysis of income and expenditure indicators, along with complaints filed with the parish, which help shed light on its financial condition. Although the parish generated substantial income from rentals, donations, and grants, it often operated with a budget deficit due to repair work and other expenses.

Daugiasluoksnis Kauno paveikslas XVII a. II pusės – XVIII a. pabaigos gyvenimo rėmuose

Author(s): Laima Bucevičiūtė / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 22/2024

Review of: Zigmantas Kiaupa, Liudas Glemža, Kauno istorija. II tomas, Nuo 1655 iki 1795 metų (Kaunas: Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, 2023), 490, ISBN 9786094675591.

Zlatko Hasanbegović, Jugoslavenska muslimanska organizacija 1929–1941. (u ratu i revoluciji 1941–1945)

Author(s): Nemanja Dević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2025

Zlatko Hasanbegović, Jugoslavenska muslimanska organizacija 1929–1941. (u ratu i revoluciji 1941–1945), Zagreb: Fortuna, 2022, 880. (279–283)

Bojan Dimitrijević, Krcun

Author(s): Luka Filipovic / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2025

Bojan Dimitrijević, Krcun, Beograd: Vukotić medija, 2024, 371. (283–285)