Janusz Pezda

“My Emblem was and always will be: The country – its goodness and its will.” A contribution to the history of the Czartoryski family

The Czartoryski family, originating from the Gediminas family, is mentioned many times in the history of Poland. It has been present in its history since the beginning of the Polish-Lithuanian union. Its importance grew systematically so that in the 18th and 19th century the Czartoryski family became one of the richest and most influential families in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Political connections and friendships gave the opportunity to influence the course of events, while strengthened the position of the family; the growing fortune and income that flowed from it supported these efforts. The characters selected are only examples from among all representatives of the family. They are a testimony that the Czartoryski family has always served, and continues to serve Poland faithfully, both in times of its splendor as well as its decline, supporting with their strength and abilities the efforts for its flourishing and rightful place in Europe.

*Tekst powstał w ramach projektu OPUS 13, finansowanego przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki w Krakowie, pt. „Pomiędzy dwoma zjazdami w Pradze. Związki między Słowianami w Europie Środkowej i Południowo-Wschodniej w latach 1848–1908” (2017/25/B/HS3/00240, kierownik: prof. dr hab. Antoni Cetnarowicz).

Was it worth it? The Krakow Agreement of September 18th, 1891

The history of the Polish Library in Paris does not only mean the history of the Emigration but it also shows what was and still is the idea of shared thinking of history, taking action to preserve Polish institutions in a foreign land. It is the oldest non-French library in Paris, the oldest Polish library abroad. On November 24th 1838, at the request of Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, the Polish Literary Society and its Historical Department and the Department of Statistics together with the Scientific Aid Society decided to combine their collections in order to set a national library. After years of efforts, the festive opening of the Library took place on March 24th 1839, on the anniversary of the oath taken by Tadeusz Kościuszko on the Krakow Main Square. Since 1854, after its relocation to the Île Saint-Louis, the Library has been sharing its collections uninterruptedly. In late 1890s, firstly in the form of non-binding questionnaire, a survey was started regarding the prospect of the Library to be continued in cooperation with a national institution. Talks on possible agreement have been initiated with the Academy of Learning in Krakow. Finally the Krakow Agreement was signed in 1891, under which the custody over the Library, its building and the gathered collections was taken over by the Academy of Learning and a research station was established.

Key words: Polish Library in Paris, Polish Historical-Literary Society, Academy of Learning, Great Emigration

‘O God, have mercy on us, one is overcome with despair to see the sufferings of the Poles’. On the aid rendered by the émigré community to the émigrés

The émigrés who arrived in France could count on a friendly and compassionate reception from the French, but government aid was not to reach all of them. They had to be mainly self-reliant. The military pay was not sufficient for a decent living, and the money they had brought with them was soon spent. The majority of them had been dispossessed of their patrimonies, deprived of their lands and revenues. The life they had led hitherto was now gone, they had to begin everything from a scratch. The émigrés, determined from the start to survive, sought aid in mutual help as well as assistance from those who – in their opinion – were better off or who, as some thought, because of their social standing had an obligation to help the needy. Charitable assistance was formally organized in the first few years of the emigration, mainly in two societies: The Polish Emigration Funds Commission and The Polish Ladies Charitable Society. On 25 March 1834 The National Committee of Polish Emigration brought into being The Polish Emigration Funds Commission. The aim of the Commission was to organize the collection of funds for fellow-countrymen most in need. It survived until 1866, but was only officially disbanded after the Franco-Prussian War. The Polish Ladies Charitable Society was established at the meeting of 12 March 1834 for the purpose of helping the poor and those in need, regardless of the beneficiaries’ social background. For many years thousands of emigrants benefited from this aid. The Society was still active in the 1930s. Despite various difficulties both institutions accomplished their mission conscientiously, this  being however very often forgotten. It is therefore worthwhile to rediscover anew the commendable pages from the history of the Polish mutual aid.