The article attempts to use the frequency of key-words in the analysis of the improvised anthology of poems which present small towns in the mountainous landscape. Not all of the fifteen poems which have been analysed are literary masterpieces, yet they adequately reflect the structure of small town descriptions. In order to reconstruct such a structure – which I call a semantic universal – one has to take into account cultural and topical conditions of such images, and in certain cases also their unconscious motivations which are possible when a motif which is a narrative elaboration on the archetypal symbol appears. Semantic universals are not features of a language of a particular author but belong to the subject itself. In order to identify the semantic structure presenting a „small town in the mountainous landscape” I take into account the town descriptions, towns’ history (both from synchronic and diachronic perspectives) as well as the landscape (the background) along with the folklore. The analysis which takes into account the above mentioned three elements of the semantic universal’s structure shows the regularities in the poems which describe small towns written by different authors. The most important observation is the connection between the semantic universal describing small town with a part of the religious model of the world, which is a characteristic feature of the thought inspired by the category of myth.
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Ignacy Krasicki was born in Dubiecko upon San, in Przemyśl Region. All his life, he was deeply engaged in what was going on in the region, which is evident in his letters sent to and from Lidzbark Warminski and Dubiecko. There are literary pieces written in the form of menippean letters entitled Podróż z Warszawy do Biłgoraja [Journey from Warsaw to Biłgoraj] and Powrót do Warszawy [Return to Warsaw] that refer to his journey to the homeland in 1782. In those letters Krasicki described over thirty towns, small towns and settlements. Literary descriptions of the journey present the Polish realities with the account of multiple aspects, the assessment is drawn up from the point of view of an involved subject; the descriptions abound with autobiographical references, valuations of historical places, metaliterary references and personal, sentimental feelings. Cognitive and emotional journey to the country renders interesting valuations and also represents an extensive field for reflection over history, culture and customs.
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For years have historians pointed out the enormous research opportunities posed by the analysis of old-Polish wills. Not only can they be a source of knowledge regarding the law of succession, but also testators’ family life and neighborly relations, so important in small towns or villages. There is also a religious aspect of wills, resulting from the desire to satisfy for the sins committed, visible in the records of pious legacies, submitted to churches and religious brotherhoods. The basis of the source of the paper are the 63 wills preserved in the books of the town of Nowy Sącz, derived from the years 1617-1625. Among them are also those written during the plague prevailing in the city and which were referred to as ‘exceptional’ in the law of succession. The pious legacies left in Nowy Sącz wills mainly refer to local churches and religious brotherhoods. Some testators left cash bequests for church institutions. Others, perhaps less well-off, chose legacies in natural form. People who wrote their wills defined very precisely the purpose for which their money or material gifts were to be given. Most of them wanted to repair or adorn selected places of worship, or purchase liturgical equipment and vestments. The legacies for the poor from the local hospital, present in Nowy Sącz wills seem to be important for the functioning of the small community as well. The pious legacies contained in the wills not only show various aspects of old-Polish piety. They generally indicate the attachment of the faithful to the local church and local religious brotherhoods. This bond seemed to be stronger especially in small towns where the possibility of donating a larger number of ecclesiastical institutions was limited, and where testators’ financial resources were more limited as well.
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The article discusses the problem of the way Zabrze is influenced by the development of industry. In terms of the transformational processes occurring in its local cultural reality, the history of the city may be divided into three periods: rural, rural and urban and, finally, urban and postindustrial. The first two periods are associated with the socioeconomic changes which took place in Europe as a result of the industrial revolution. The third period, on the other hand, encompasses the decline of Zabrze’s industry as well as the current transformations including the revitalisations and restorations of buildings and postindustrial areas, particularly old mines which are today becoming touristic attractions. The processes are not completed, so it is necessary to remember that besides their spatial integrity, the old industrial plants must also retain their sociocultural integrity and become an element of common awareness not only for Zabrze’s inhabitants.
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At the turn of the century some towns evolved into metropolis, while others remain small towns, away from the hustle and bustle of the big clusters of people. Such development of cities was influenced by many economical and cultural factors. The urban space was also a subject of changes. Regardless of the size of the city, there were new roads, industrial, and housing developments. Of course the scale of those processes taking place in towns was modest relative to the metropolis, but still important. Those processes affected the standard of living and comfort of inhabitants. In the paper the author uses the term ‘small town’. This definition was adopted in accordance with the definition of the Central Statistical Office. ‘Metropolis’, as defined by Jałowiecki, is a city of at least half a million inhabitants. This type of city has excellent services, institutions and infrastructure. In addition, the city has potential for innovation in technical, economic, social, political and cultural life. It has also unique and special places. The goal of the article is to describe urban processes taking place in towns and metropolis. Despite the different nature of the small town and big city, urban processes that take place in both types are the same: the location of industry, development of residential areas, the phenomenon of city sprawl and development of the service sector. All the processes have impact on the urban space of small towns and big cities. Industrial development has contributed to the development of housing estates which, in turn, contribute to the development of services.
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This article focuses on the influence of the cinema on inhabitants of small towns in the Kielce Region until the outbreak of the Second World War. It is important to remember that film awareness among the audience in big cities and provincial places was totally different. In Polish pre-war metropolitan centres the cinema was one of many opportunities of participation in cultural life, beside theatres, concerts, revues and circus. In small towns the cinema was considered to be the most important form of provincial cultural life. Films were the main source of information and education that broadened people’s horizons. Watching films from exotic countries such as China which were called ‘scenic’, the provincial public had a chance of broadening their knowledge about the world. The participation in common screenings gave viewers an opportunity to express the same emotions like joy, fear, sadness and others. Films became a favourite form of entertainment of common audience. This article concentrates on several issues: the history of cinemas in small towns of the Kielce Region, legal and economic aspects of establishing a cinema enterprise, repertoire of small towns’ cinemas of the Kielce Region and a profile of the provincial cinema audience. The text is based on archival documents and press sources.
The paper is based on 49 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2012–3 with return migrants and/or long-term unemployed people in Grajewo and Limanowa. I explore the causes of circular migration from Poland to West European countries today (preferring the term ‘repeated migration,’ since interviewees often migrated at irregular intervals). Migration theory suggests that as migration networks proliferate, migration becomes less selective and some poorer people begin to migrate. Applying a livelihood strategy approach to understand how residents of small towns – especially parents – make choices about where to work, I found that even the poorest interviewees had contacts abroad and did consider international migration as an option. However, these contacts did not always facilitate their migration and, if interviewees went abroad, they lacked confidence to expand their networks in the receiving country and stay long enough to significantly improve their household income. Obtaining contacts abroad, in the context of an overall expansion of transnational networks between Poland and the UK, does not always make migration easy, and only partly explains why poor people migrate. Push factors remain very significant.
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