This article describes the takeover from Austrian hands of the military airport in Krakow-Rakowice during the liberation of Krakow on 31 October 1918. Although this subject is treated marginally in the historiography of the town, the airport taken over was of great significance for Polish military aviation and, thanks to this, obtained the title of the “cradle of Polish aviation”. The article is an attempt to establish a true chronology of the events which led to the seizure of power by the minority Polish crew and the protection of military property against looting, as well as to refute the myths that have grown over the last decades, and which are frequently presented in the literature dedicated to Polish aviation. The article recalls the important role played during the days when the Habsburg rule fell in Krakow by two Polish aviators – Captain Roman Florer and Sgt Mech. Antoni Jucha, thanks to which, the airport was very quickly able to serve the reborn Republic. The text presents the infrastructure of the airport on the day of its acquisition, as well as its visible traces in the current landscape of Krakow, almost one hundred years after the described events and over fifty years since the airport was closed.

The problems of the relations between science and war have belonged recently to the topics which are constantly present in Czech historiography. The same can not be stated, however, with reference to the problems connected with the participation of Czech representatives of the humanities in the Galician campaigns during the First World War. The aim of the article is to look at this topic and present the example of two learned men, who were called up to the front at the mature age of 36 years old as reserve officers. The first part of the text represents an introduction to the situation as well as a description of the basic bibliographic positions. Attention is mainly paid to the negative attitude of Czechs to the War, which had objectives that were in contrast with the Slavic feeling of the majority of Czech society. In a short essay, the perception of Galicia during the War is shown, with Czech soldiers valuing Galician towns more than villages. From a few sources, it can be stated that Krakow made the greatest impression, being regarded as a wonderful town, and its historic character was emphasized. The second part of the article concentrates on the wartime fate of the art historian and conservation specialist Zdeňek Wirth (1878–1961), which has been reconstructed based on correspondence. He was called up to the Galician front as a Landsturm officer (infantry battalion no. 214). He took part in the 1914 campaign, and later found himself mainly working in the support organizations for the front lines in Galicia and Lubelszczyzna, where his organizational and administrative skills were used. During the War (he was relieved of his duties in 1918), Wirth attempted to conduct as much scientific activity as possible; he wrote some articles on the current topics connected with conservation work (the confiscation of bells). He learnt Polish and also read Polish scientific literature. The third part of the article presents the half-year participation of the lawyer and philosopher Emil Svoboda (1878–1948) in the first Galician campaign of 1914–1915. The basic sources of information are his unpublished Memories with their strong anti-military character. Svoboda was also called up for military service as an officer of the Landsturm reserves (infantry battalion no. 213). Svoboda, as a company leader, took part in the fighting around Krakow, later in the offensive near Limanowa and, finally, spent part of the winter in the towns of Nowy Targ and Czarny Dunajec. In February 1915, he travelled to Prague on sick leave, and later was released from the army after an application by the University and Polytechnic of Prague.

This article concerns the issues connected with shaping patriotism among young Poles living in exile in Siberia while Poland was on the verge of regaining independence. The matter is analysed on the basis of eleven lectures given by Roman Dyboski, a specialist in English, which he delivered in the years 1918–1921 in Khabarovsk, Novonikolayevsk and Krasnoyarsk for Polish prisoners of war. These lectures are stored in his legacy in the Archives of PAN and PAU in Krakow. According to Dyboski, the basic foundation of patriotism is the feeling of a bond with one’s own nation. He saw the lack of a united nation in society as one of the key threats for a reborn Poland. Therefore, he also tried on many occasions to remind his countrymen about the historical foundations of the Polish national identity. Through the tales of, among others, the glorious times of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the victories of the great Hetmans Stanisław Żółkiewski and Karol Chodkiewicz, and the fame of Fryderyk Chopin, Dyboski wanted to arouse a feeling of pride in the prisoners, to make them aware that they are part of a great living nation, heirs of the wonderful achievements of their predecessors. He showed the companions of hardship that patriotism was a great responsibility for the achievements of their forefathers, he wanted to highlight that they inherited the testament of the war and an independent fatherland. A patriot in the times of an independent Republic according to Dyboski was aware of this identity, responsible for the country, an active citizen, who should be unswerving and steadfast during service for a good cause, even in the most difficult moments and conditions. He believed that the unity of the whole nation based on an active, civil, morally-based attitude of patriotism enabled the rebirth of Jagiellonian Poland – a powerful country in Central-Eastern Europe, with historical and geographical roots, a world power, to carry out important tasks.

The author reconstructs the biography of the Polish doctor, Dr Stefan Szuman (1889–1972), later a professor at Jagiellonian University (1928–1961) during his period in the German army (1914–1919). S. Szuman, who acquired the state right to perform the profession of doctor in the German Reich on 7 September 1914, as well as the level of medical doctor on 23 December 1914 at the Faculty of Medicine in the Ludwik Maximilian University of Munich, formally served in the German army in the years 1914–1919. He served as a military doctor on the eastern front in the fight against Russia (from January 1915 until April 1916), firstly in Mazovia and Kujawy, then in Volhynia. Later he served on the western front – from April 1916 until December 1917, on the border between France and Belgium. During the night of 30 November and 1 December 1917 he was heavily wounded in the leg during the Battle of Cambrai in the Nord-Pas-de- Calais region near Raillencourt-Sainte-Olle, next to Cambrai and Bouchain. For his service in the German army, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class medal (at the turn of 1917/1918). After his recovery in Aachen and Torun, he was transferred to serve in the military hospital in the citadel in Hannover (from May until December 1918). After 9 December 1918, he returned to Torun, where he stayed until 17 May 1919, working as a garrison doctor in the clinic of his father – Dr Leon Szuman, still formally an officer in the German army until 19 March 1919 as a citizen of Germany. On 20 May 1919, he was accepted into the Polish Army at the rank of captain in Torun, which was still inside the German partition. On 31 May 1919, S. Szuman illegally crossed the Polish-German border near Torun and succeeded in reaching Wielkopolska.

Aleksandra Czechówna (1839–1923) was the daughter of Tomasz Czech and Aleksandra, née Zielińska. Her Dziennik z całego życia (Journal from the whole life) ... written almost constantly for over 60 years (1856–1923), is stored in the National Archives in Krakow, ref. no. 29/428/1–29/428/44 (former ref. no. IT 428/1–428/44). It represents a wonderful source presenting the cultural, social and daily life of the town of Krakow in the second half of the 19th century, as well as in the first two decades of the 20th century. The text placed here comes from two volumes of the “Journal”. There is a short fragment from volume 38, ref. no. 29/1582/38 (former ref. no. IT 428/38) as well as the main text from volume 39, ref. no. 29/1582/39 (former ref. no. IT 428/39). It contains entries concerning the outbreak of the First World War and the first year of the fighting. The presented selection of “Journal” was written by a woman carefully observing events which were of great importance for Poles. The author probably mainly used press reports, but also tried to use personal accounts. She is quite well informed and up-to-date with the developing events. The “Journal”, although it is not complete, supplies a wide range of information about events taking place on the eastern front, especially in Krakow and its immediate vicinity. The diary also brings the reality of the daily life, full of care and uncertainty, closer to the reader. It provides a picture of the moods and views prevalent among the residents of Krakow.

This article presents a set of sources for research into the First World War, stored in the National Archives in Krakow. The set has been created subjectively, and is restricted to archival materials stored in the branches of Krakow’s archives. The chronology of the set generally covers the period of 1914–1918, although there are also archival resources created during earlier and later periods, which help the research and study into the history of the city, region and other Polish areas. The materials most frequently used in research into the subject are the collections of the Polish Legions and the National Supervisory Committee, the Photographic Collection, the Collection of Placards and Posters, court records, county council records, the Imperial-Royal Police in Krakow, and of town records. An interesting complement to the conducted research are collections of individual and family records, formed both during the War as well as after it. Losses, both demographic and economic, were documented by military and civil powers, among which the most frequently used are the records of: Military Bureau of Care over War Graves Corps No. V in Krakow, the Imperial-Royal Central Commission for the Economic Redevelopment of Galicia in Lwow as well as the National Bureau for the Redevelopment of Galicia in Lwow.