The aim of this article is to present the Krakow series of record books for the acceptance of town rights against a background of other similar sources stored in Polish towns and selected European countries.

The record books for the acceptance of town rights represent a distinct type of clerical production, created in town boroughs over a wide area from the British Isles to the eastern tips of Central Europe. Their genesis reaches back to the middle of the 13th century, however, the main period of their development lasted until at least the middle of the 16th century. The creation of this type of register is connected with the obligation to swear an oath when obtaining town rights in the above-mentioned territories. This activity was registered by the record books.

Comparison of the materials for other settlements reveals that Krakow’s record books were part of a wide-ranging appearance. Begun at the turn of the 14th century and continued with small gaps until the end of the 18th century, Krakow’s libri iuris civilis represent, however, a significant relic not only within Poland, but also Central Europe. In this area, there are no other series which are as complete and as rich in material.

The institution of town rights is also discussed. Its picture appearing in Polish literary activity to a significant degree became obsolete, and did not take into consideration foreign research. Analysis of more recent literature concerning this subject has allowed town rights to be presented in a different light.

Based on the literature and previous source-based studies, the research opportunities offered by the Krakow record books of the acceptance of town rights are also presented. These issues, part of the wide current of social history, have not yet been the subject of an in-depth work. This work may represent a stimulus and basis for this type of research.

The Commission for Order for the Krakow region was established as a result of the Kościuszko Uprising on 25 March 1794. It ended its activity together with the entrance to Krakow of the Prussian army in June of the same year.

As opposed to its predecessor from the period of the Great Sejm – the Civil-Military Commissions of the counties of Krakow and Proszowice as well as Ksiąz and Lelow, during the Uprising, one administrative institution for the whole region was established. Its members, from the aristocracy, clergymen and the middle-class, were chosen by Tadeusz Kościuszko. The next reorganisation of the town hall specialised the work of order commissioners, assigning their activities to respective departments: Order, Public Safety, Treasury, Justice, Military Needs, Nutrition and Instruction.

The tasks of the Krakow Commission included: supervision of the state of roads, postage, courier services, transport, the distribution of orders from the Uprising powers to civilians, issuing passports, investigating, questioning, arresting and taking those accused of crimes to court, custodial matters, supervision of the criminal courts, carrying out their sentences, collecting and storing donations for the Uprising from civilians, supervision of traitors in isolation, control of the treasury, supervision of land usage, maintaining a record of food supplies, administration of grain stores and responsibility for supplying forage for the needs of the military and civilians, administration of the food industry, issuing welfare for the needy, and supervision of domestic and external trade.

With foreign ancestry, yet quickly Polonised, the Tetmajer family settled in the second half of the 18th century in Galicia, and precisely in Tarnow, from where, in the course of acquiring a large property estate, they lived in many places in the Tarnow region, in Ochotnica Dolna in the Gorce region and Ludźmierz in Podhale.

Three Tetmajer brothers, the sons of Jerzy: Stanisław (1747–1821), a lawyer, secretary of the Noble Court in Tarnow, Wojciech (1759–1824), a court surveyor, and Aleksander (approx. 1750 – unknown), a doctor, received from the hands of the Austrian Emperor Francis II, on 21 March 1794, confirmation of their nobility together with the name “de Przerwa”. Their lives and professional activities are presented here based on the existing, rather sparse, source materials. This was carried out most fully in the case of Wojciech Tetmajer, whose nineteen large-scale, hand-drawn maps have survived in the collections of the National Archives in Krakow.

In addition, the article presents the biographies and information concerning the activities (including the next surveyor in the family – Antoni Tetmajer) of the many enlightened and patriotic descendants of both Stanisław and Wojciech Tetmajer, with particular attention being given to their participation in the armed fight against the Austrians, even up to the start of the second half of the 19th century. This participation was visible during the times of the Duchy of Warsaw (1809–1812), the November Uprising, in the preparations for the uprising in Galicia in the 1830s, as well as the Krakow Uprising in 1846, even up to the January Uprising in 1863. During these times, the Tetmajers risked their own lives in order to regain the lost Fatherland.

Contacts between Kazimierz Nitsch (1874–1958) – Krakow linguist, professor of Jagiellonian University, member and president of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences – with the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Sciences began even before the Polish scientist was elected to be one of its members. Evidence of these contacts can be found in the collections of the Saint-Petersburg Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the PAN and PAU Archives in Krakow and the Archives of Jagiellonian University in Krakow. K. Nitsch, while still a privatdozent of Jagiellonian University, following recommendations from Jan Rozwadowski and Jan Baudouin de Courtenay, was invited to become an author of the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Slavonic Philology, published by the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the goal of writing a section on Polish dialectology. In connection with this, Nitsch undertook a wide range of dialectological trips to the Polish Kingdom, which were possible thanks to the organisational support of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Evidence of this support is stored among the Department’s documents. The dialectological trips were just one of the areas of early cooperation between K. Nitsch and the Saint-Petersburg Academy. The other areas are reflected in the correspondence conducted by K. Nitsch with Aleksey A. Shakhmatov (1864–1920), President of the Department of Russian Language and Literature as well as with Boris M. Lyapunov (1862–1943), a Russian Slavonic expert, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who after the death of A. A. Shakhmatov and E. F. Karski (1860–1931), the second great Slavonic expert and organiser of science, became a key figure connecting the Russian and European worlds of Slavonic experts. The St Petersburg Archives of the Russian Academy 114 Larisa Bondar, Marina Ponikarovskaya of Sciences contain letters from K. Nitsch to A. A. Shakhmatov from the years 1909–1914 and to B. M. Lyapunov from 1930–1936; the PAN and PAU Archives in Krakow contain letters to K. Nitsch: from A. A. Shakhmatov during the years 1908–1912 and from B. M. Lyapunov in 1928–1938. The content of this correspondence presents two basic directions of cooperation: participation in the preparation of Polish and Soviet Slavonic publications as well as organisation of the academic exchange of books. The close contacts between K. Nitsch and Soviet linguists as well as his excellent scientific achievements meant that the USSR Academy of Sciences decided to present him as a candidate for membership. The first application was submitted by B. M. Lyapunov in 1933, however, the election took place significantly later – in 1947 when K. Nitsch had already taken up the position of President of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.

When a daughter married, her parents were supposed to provide her with not only a dowry, but also with a bridal trousseau. This consisted of personal items and household goods. Sometimes the value of the trousseau equalled the dowry. In noble homes, it was collected almost from the daughter’s childhood, and when the wedding was expected, this activity intensified. Frequently, the trousseau was accompanied by a designated trusted servant, who moved to the home of the young bride. All matters connected with the necessity of giving a daughter a trousseau were regulated by law.
In old-Polish law, care was taken about the material security of wives, which consisted of the necessity to secure her dowry by the husband, often with a value exceeding the dowry. A register of the trousseau was made, with details of the clothes, jewels and equipment designated for the lady getting married. Such a document was usually signed by the parents and the son-in-law, and was also entered into clerical records.
The trousseau published here belonged to Ludwina Chwalibożanka, daughter of the Krakow court worker Józef. On the day of Ludwina’s wedding, he had already passed away, and the trousseau was given by her step-father Aleksander Dąmbski and mother Elżbieta. In 1771, Chwalibożanka married Ludwik Chronowski, son of Michał and treasurer of Wiślicka.

Aleksandra Czechówna (1839–1923) was a 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. 29/1582/1–29/1582/44 (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”: vol. 39, ref. no. 29/1582/39 (former ref. no. IT 428/39) as well as vol. 40, ref. no. 29/1582/40 (former ref. no. IT 428/40). It represents a continuation of the entries concerning the outbreak of World War I and the first year of fighting, and describes the second year of the ongoing war activities (see “Krakowski Rocznik Archiwalny” 2014, vol. 20, pp. 111–132). The presented text was written by an intelligent woman, who perceptively observed the events that were so important for Poles. The author mainly used press reports and clerical announcements, but also made use of personal accounts. She is reasonably well informed and up-to-date with the development of events on the eastern front, especially in Krakow and its surroundings, but also in Europe. The journal brings the reader closer to the realities of daily life at the time, full of worry and uncertainty. Sometimes there is information about the deteriorating situation in the country and increasing problems with provisions. It also gives a picture of the moods among the residents of Krakow.

The article relates to the parliamentary elections that took place on 4 and 18 June 1989 and which are regarded today as a symbolic moment in the fall of communism in Poland. Its main theme is not, however, to recreate the events preceding the election campaign or those that took place during it. It is more of an attempt at reviewing the source materials from the period which are collected in the resources of the National Archives in Krakow, showing both the strong points and the imperfections of the collection. The text brings us closer to a rich archival collection of materials created in order to obtain votes for the opposition candidates in the Lesser Poland region by the “Solidarity” Citizens’ Committee.
Emphasis is placed on the promotional-information character of the materials as well as on their aesthetic rather than factual attraction. Besides the numerous posters and printed leaflets, which are able to graphically fill articles and publications concerning the problems of the time, there is a lack of documentation created during the organisation of the campaign, such as protocols of meetings and resolutions of the Lesser Poland “Solidarity” Citizens’ Committee, recommendations of the social-cultural environment or procedures for selecting candidates for members of parliament and senators. In later parts, documents created during the election activities by the ruling Polish United Workers’ Party are shown. They are to a large extent a summary of the campaign showing the organisational background of the elections by party activists. The article should be of use to people interested in the subject of June ‘89. It refers to specific archival units and shows the reference numbers for the most interesting and most valuable souvenirs of history stored in the resources of the National Archives in Krakow.

The Polish constitution and applicable international laws ensure that all Poles have the protection of ownership. There are, however, situations when citizens may be deprived of their property for the sake of public interest. In the case of expropriation, in accordance with current regulations contained in the law of 21 August 1997 concerning property, the acquisition of property may take place only for compensation and because of some kind of public benefit. Changes in property ownership in Poland were also regulated earlier by a range of legal acts. Based on the numerous laws and decrees concerning nationalisation which were passed after World War II, the Polish state came into possession of large areas of land, together with other belongings. A key task of the powers of the Polish People’s Republic was to nationalise the main branches of industry by taking control of industrial plants, trading and transport companies as well as banks. The institutions expropriated during this period in Poland were misused and often run without economic reasoning.
Based on the review of the type and state of stored documentation from the area of expropriation in the National Archives in Krakow conducted in 2014, it was stated that there are great variations in this type of documentation, depending on the area in which the expropriation took place.
The resources of the National Archives in Krakow (together with its local branches) contain documentation connected with expropriation measuring approx. 130 linear metres, however, there is also 1 005 linear metres of documentation from the years 1945–2014, stored in the archives of organisational units as archival reserves.
During the review of the condition and number of property expropriation documents, the documentation connected with enfranchisement from the same period was also analysed. Regulations for the legal state of property and farms were defined by the law from 1971, which sanctioned the informal sale of property within farms based on administrative decisions, the so-called land ownership acts. It was established that the archival reserves of this type of documentation that should be transferred to the National Archives in Krakow equal 578.55 linear metres.
The conducted review defined the number and state of stored documentation concerning expropriation and enfranchisement, as well as the way in which it is organised and registered and the amount of archival materials that should be transferred to the National Archives in Krakow. Preparation of a detailed register of this type of resource will undoubtedly help the effective realisation of an archival investigation in this area.