Abstrakt:
Usytuowane w dawnych pomieszczeniach klasztoru Bernardynów Archiwum Krajowe Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich we Lwowie, przechowujące polskie księgi grodzkie i ziemskie, przez ponad pół wieku (1879-1933) udostępniało społeczności polskiej cenne dokumenty i zabezpieczało je przed zniszczeniem. Porządkowane akta grodzkie i ziemskie południowo-wschodnich powiatów dawnej Rzeczypospolitej, które po jej likwidacji znalazły się w granicach ówczesnej Galicji oraz akta Trybunału Lubelskiego z województw: bracławskiego, kijowskiego, wołyńskiego i czernichowskiego, które władze austriackie przeniosły do Lwowa, stanowiły także cenny materiał badawczy dla skupionych w jego murach uczonych. Pierwszym dyrektorem Archiwum Krajowego Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich został Ksawery Liske, wybitny znawca historii, profesor Uniwersytetu Lwowskiego. Udostępnił on zbiory archiwalne urzędnikom państwowym, naukowcom i osobom próbującym ustalić swoje związki rodzinne oraz młodzieży studiującej historię, prawo. Instytucja ta stała się warsztatem naukowym dla zatrudnionych w niej pracowników archiwalnych i odbywających praktyki studentów. Jego następca Oswald Balzer kontynuował rozpoczęte prace konserwatorskie i działalność naukową. Na stanowiska aplikantów powoływał najzdolniejszych seminarzystów, których przygotowywał do prowadzenia samodzielnych badań naukowych. Wielu z nich podjęło później działalność naukową w szkolnictwie wyższym. Niektórzy zostali profesorami. Archiwum, na przestrzeni lat, poszerzało swoje zbiory. Przekazywana tam w formie depozytów dokumentacja m.in. z sądu krajowego we Lwowie, po opracowaniu, umożliwiała pogłębienie wiedzy w zakresie polskich ruchów niepodległościowych. Cenny materiał źródłowy do badań stosunków społeczno-gospodarczych stanowiły przejęte przez tę Instytucję w latach 1905-1907 zbiory metryk gruntowych Galicji z 1789 r. i 1820 r., obejmujące około 12 tys. tomów. W 1919 r. Archiwum Krajowe Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich we Lwowie zostało przejęte przez polskie władze archiwalne. Zmieniono wtedy jego nazwę na Archiwum Ziemskie. W latach dwudziestych i w początkach lat trzydziestych XX wieku w Archiwum Bernardyńskim poza zwykłymi czynnościami archiwalnymi nadal prowadzono badania naukowe. W placówce tej doskonaliły swój warsztat naukowy kolejne pokolenia młodych adeptów nauki. Zetknięcie się ze zgromadzonymi tam źródłami dawało im solidną podstawę do dalszych badań dziejów ziem południowo-wschodnich dawnej Rzeczypospolitej. W 1933 r. Archiwum Ziemskie zostało włączone do lwowskiego Archiwum Państwowego.
On the turn of the 18th and 19th century in many European countries new archives were about to create, both current (records repositories, company archives) and historical ones where records, not needed by current administration, were stored[1]. Centralized archival services were formed, new organization of archives was introduced with free access guaranteed to all citizens. The process did not omit Polish lands incorporated in a framework of three partitioning powers. The Polish nation, being under partition, was not able to create Polish archival service. That is why a considerable amount of valuable records was stored in inadequate conditions. However, factors similar to those in other European countries influenced the development of the Polish archives[2]. Moreover, the decline of the Polish state resulted in archiving records created by its authorities[3].
Giving autonomy of Galicia and fast development of science in Lvov and Cracow had a major impact on archive organization in Galicia starting from the sixties of the nineteenth century. The history of the National Archive of Town and Land Records in Lvov, commonly known as the Bernardine Archive[4] is the striking example of it. After the first Polish Partition in 1772, Austrians let old Polish town and land courts function on the whole invaded area for eleven years[5]. As a result, court records were collected there up to 1783 and then they were ordered to be transported to Lvov on 27 December 1783[6]. Since that time all the records of towns and lands of Galicia were carried there. They were stored in buildings of a former Bernardine monastery in a library room. A supervision of the collections stored there was held by Antoni Poletylle since December 1774. He was appointed a “regensem actorum antiquorum”[7]. The created archive was called Caesareo-regium antiquorum actorum terrestrium et castrensium rum officium. It formed a part of the so-called national tabula[8].
Town and land records had a significant meaning for nobles in particular as being valuable documents enabling to prove their nobility. The records were also referred to when people endeavored gaining titles of a prince and a count. For this reason, in 1785, Galician nobility applied to Austrian authorities with a request for completion of the project of organizing archive resources. After two years of efforts, on 24 May 1787, Austrian government fulfilled the request and ordered to compile judicial books which were allocated in former rooms of the Bernardine monastery.
Creating an alphabetical index and rewriting destroyed indexes was considered to be the most important issue. The indexes were made according to one pattern. In the first column there were written people’s surnames and towns in an alphabetical order (nomina partium), in the second one there was a content of a record (species documenti), in the third there was a protocol’s page number, an induction or a copy (pagina prothocolli, inductae vel copiae)[9]. On the first page of each index there was its number and it was announced which protocol’s volume, inductions or a copy it related to.
After the books had been arranged and indexes had been created they were divided by land and towns. The books were bound. On the spine of each they put a title written by former writers or formulated on the basis of records’ content. Here there were given years of which the files originated. Finally, at the bottom of each book’s spine, a serial number of a given administrative district was put. To distinguish books of different towns or lands, colorful signs were mounted to their backs. A hundred and fifty writers were employed during all the bookbinding work and creating indexes. The whole act took them three years of work (1787-1790) [10].
The arranged town and land archives of the south-eastern districts of old Rzeczypospolita which after its liquidation were located in contemporary Galicia[11] and records of Lubelski Tribunal from the Bracław, Kiev, Volhynian and Chernihiv Voivodeships which were transported to Lvov by Austrian authorities since then they weren’t preserved for long decades. Austrian government paid very limited sums of money on preservation of these resources because old Polish court notes were of no significant importance for them.
The number of books, fascicles, and indexes (15 323 altogether) which were gathered in the former Bernardine monastery, put the archives on one of the top positions among contemporary archives which stored Polish court books. Initially the institution was under control of a regent. After reorganization conducted in 1810 the archives, as a part of the national tabula, began to submit to the court of the nobility. The head of the institution was a director, and archivists together with court officials were subordinated to him. In course of time the number of stored books began to decrease. In 1828 the records of Grabowiec and Horodlo were edited. Twenty years later the records of Lubelski Tribunal together with indexes were turned over to Russia[12]. According to the record from 1868 there were 13 736 books in the Archive[13].
Because Austrian government aimed to limit spending on storage of Polish town and land records, they proposed the National Department to take over the Lvov Archive on 18th April 1869[14]. At the beginning the country representation postponed the realization of this demand by dint of number of other issues particularly concerning the range of Galicia’s local government privileges. It was only in January 1874, the Galician diet decided to take over and to manage the records which were stored in buildings of the former Bernardine monastery. After the next two years, in 1876, the proposal was adopted by the Diet of Galicia[15].
The National Division, in agreement with the Academy of Learning, conducted a number of changes in the management of the collections. The Lvov Archive obtained an official name of The National Archive of Town and Land Records. On the strength of new regulations (so called Archival instruction from 15th February 1878) the head of the institution was a director to whom an adjunct and four apprentices were submitted. In 1879 Ksawery Liske became a director of the archive. He was an eminent expert in history[16] and a professor at The University of Lviv[17]. A respected lecturer and a head of the general history seminary[18] where he acquainted his students with the most contemporary methods of research on diplomatics and palaeography, where he taught how to read and critically interpret mediaeval resources. He rendered the archive collection accessible to civil servants, scientists, people trying to establish their family relations and also to young people studying history and law. Ksawery Liske appointed Antoni Prochaska, a graduate of The University of Lviv, to a post of an adjunct. Prochaska was well prepared to archival work thanks to periods of foreign practice as a holder of the Leon Sapiecha Foundation’s[19] scholarship. Ksawery Liske, who edited “Town and land records” [20] from 1865 at the National Division’s suggestion, gained a very committed assistant. Prochaska was preparing materials to this publication and made a significant part of editorial work. He was also a great organizer of everyday archival activities. His work at the archive was described by Helena Polaczkówna many years later: “A couple of generations of apprentices passed through the archival rooms, they welcomed him in the morning, saw him bent over a table browsing the archive books looking for lauda assemblies. Others joyfully were stopping work for fun and entertainment while doctor Prochaska, barely experiencing his afternoon rest, was coming back again to his quiet, focused dignity for long hours. This is how his youth and maturity passed […] Though it was not a man for whom dry chewing of paper was sufficient, but disappointments of his life were closed in passionate affection for past and intensive work which was to help him regenerate, by means of a fountain-pen, from tiny notes, the outstanding figures of our nation’s skippers, its struggle and fight” [21].
Since 1884 Ksawery Liske was ill and till the end of his days he did not get up from his bed. In spite of it he still remained the director of The National Archive of Town and Land Records in Lvov. His responsibilities were taken over by Antoni Prochaska who actually was managing most of routine work performed at that time. The archive resources arrangement, protecting them against damage, rendering them to petitioners took a lot of time. Nevertheless Prochaska conducted also scientific research and published vast writings inter alia Król Władysław Jagiełło (1908), Dzieje Witolda Wielkiego, księcia Litwy (1914)[22]. These works met some criticism of several well-known historians though[23]. Eventually Antoni Prochaska’s dream of professorship did not come true. He remained in the Lvov archive till his old age. Prochaska contributed a significant share to preparing archival materials for publication. The publication of “Town and land records” which was began by L. Tatomir (the editor of volume I) and continued by Ksawery Liske (the editor of volumes II-XV) required a huge amount of effort. Antoni Prochaska frequently worked more than established working time. Volumes II-IX of this publication contained the diplomatic protocol of Rus Halicka which comprised about 1200 documents from the second half of 14th and from 15th century. In volume X the list of oblates of the city and Lvov district was placed. Following volumes comprised the oldest preserved notes from lands the books came from. Similarly to court books stored in the Bernardine Archive they were the invaluable source for researchers. They enabled the study of Rus Halicka’s history and the history of Polish law and culture of this region as well.
On 1st March 1880 Oswald Balzer, one of the most talented Ksawery Liske’s seminarists, was employed in the Archive as an apprentice[24]. “At the time of his youthful archival practice – Helena Polaczkówna mentioned after some years – he acquainted himself thoroughly and extensively with the Lvov Archive’s resources: his theses are full of quotations taken directly from the records not from printed materials in the publication «Town and land records»; memorizing these resources was so great that, in all complicated questions connected with archival, scientific and practical queries […], he was able to give a reliable and comprehensive settlement in the last instance. To the field of archival theses from that earliest period of his life showing the enormous familiarity with the resources belongs the publication Regestr złoczyńców grodu sanockiego 1554–1638, accomplished on the grounds of Sanok town books 447 and 448. Finally compiling the indexes of law matters in volumes XI-XV for the publication «Town and land records» prepared by Ksawery Liske […]. Balzer had to create his method because in 1886 when the XI volume of Sanok notes appears, Polish publishing works under the auspices of the Academy of Learning are only a nucleus and Helcl and Ulanowski’s notes which were ahead of Liski’s publications, appeared without indexes […] Before Balzer reaches the peak of the editorial artistic skills in respect of precision of annotating and interpreting texts and the art of indexing which characterizes his Corpus iuris Polonici from 1906, the outline of all these virtues will already appear in these first trials of creating indexes according to his own initiative: perfect theoretical and practical mastery of the subject matter, clarity and lucidity of construction of entries where the subjects were to be found, precision without meticulousness, the virtues he was to master in the future” [25].
After Ksawery Liski’s death in 1891 Oswald Balzer became a new director of the Bernardine Archive. He took up the post as a result of the competition announced by the National Division. His most serious opponent was Antoni Prochaska. The Academy of Learning in Cracow declared explicitly for Oswald Balzer. In the note to competition commission signed by the president of this institution you read: “[…] between the candidates applying for the post of a director of the Archive of Town and Land Records in Lvov, we should accord absolute priority to professor Oswald Balzer. A high value of his dissertations gives absolute warranty that entrusting him with the care of the archive will find it under the truly skillful management” [26]. The previous way of managing the Archive by its first director Ksawery Liske has undoubtedly had an influence on the decision of the Academy of Learning. Under his supervision the access to the stored collection was given to civil servants, scientists, people trying to establish their family relations and students of the University of Lviv who were personally acquainted with the collection by him[27]. The institution became a “scientific workshop” preparing students of history and law for conducting their own research. The National Division appointed Oswald Balzer the director of Bernardine Archive and Antoni Prochaska – according to the suggestion of the Academy of Learning – was designated the director of the “Town and land records “ publication[28].
At the beginning of the nineties of 19th century Oswald Balzer represented a number of suggestions to the National Division which concerned interesting modification proposals of some rules from the 1878[29] instruction which regulated work in archives[30]. He suggested to resign from a planned archive arrangement which was to be made according to an alphabetic index of people and towns – only prepared – common to books from different “towns and lands” of all voivodeships[31]. He claimed that creating such indexes would take hundreds of years. He thought this task should be done on the basis of already existing indexes created at the end of 18th century. The project was supported by Franciszek Piekosiński. However Michał Bobrzyński responded negatively to this. Because of those different opinions the Academy of Learning did not appraised the proposal. Oswald Balzer did not become discouraged from that defeat. He aspired to some changes in work organization in the Bernardine Archive and therefore he began to make efforts to create another post for an adjunct and to increase the number of apprentices. He also requested the national government for a significant pay rise for archivists whose wages were low[32]. His demands were met by the National Division[33]. In the first years on the post Balzer created an archival reference library where he stored works in the field of: scientific organization of the keeping of archives, Polish law, heraldry, genealogy, sphragistics and also manuals of history, gazetteers, lexicons. He kept gathering archival records of municipal and country communities. Thanks to that there were more and more privileges of parchment, diplomas, books of proceedings in the Bernardine Archive[34]. Conservation works were undertaken on a large scale. The institution also became a scientific workshop preparing students of history and law to conduct individual research. Oswald Balzer frequently appointed his most talented seminarists to apprentice posts. Among those who functioned as his apprentices were: Bolesław Grużewski, Wojciech Hejnosz, Alfred Ohanowicz, Helena Polaczkówna, Władysław Semkowicz, Józef Siemieński, Stefan Sochaniewicz, Adam Szelągowski[35].
The workers of the Bernardine Archive undertook compiling the records handed them in a form of two deposits by the national criminal court in Lvov. The first of them consisted of 400 fascicles of criminal records (from political processes) from the period between years 1834-1853 and of 349 of confiscated forms[36]. The second one consisted of Galicia court records from years 1831, 1846, 1848 and 1863. They created a collection enabling studying Polish independence actions more thoroughly which enriched the resources of the National Archive in Lvov in1920[37].
On the initiative of Oswald Balzer a lot of archivists, Przemysław Dąbkowski in particular, took part in the preparatory work for developing The books of Polish law[38] which were to cover all relics of Polish legislation with reference to all territories which remained “under the reign of the Polish rulers”. Oswald Balzer – its editor intended to divide the books into two sections. In the first one he wanted to publish the crown law, in the second one the Lithuanian law [39]. In 1906 he announced the third book Corpus iuris Polonici which contains privileges, statutes, constitutions, edicts, decrees and crown mandamus from years 1506-1522. The material gathered in this publication differed from the one contained in Volumina Legum both in multiplicity of legislation forms and in its origin. Each text inserted in Corpus iuris Polonici was based on the restitution of an authentic, official content of an act. The publisher eliminated numerous errors and editorial changes from the documents included in manuscript copies duplicated in publications printed earlier. Some of the Sejm constitutions were announced as a whole for the first time[40]. The connections between a lot of provisions were proved which used to compose “homogenous statutory integrity” and were established as separate statutes by mistake by contemporary scholars who based their assumptions on the copies[41]. In this publication original parts of texts were accompanied by their official Polish or German translations. Each legal document was proceeded by an introductory annotations containing a comprehensive list of well-known printed documents and manuscripts. The volume of The books of Polish law containing 274 relics was annotated with eight indexes what simplified using the legislative material found there. At the beginning of the book there were lists of the archives and the libraries where the published documents were stored.
Archival enquiries, besides Lvov, were carried out by Przemysław Dąbkowski after having received a scholarship from the Academy of Learning in 1899. He initiated then the exploration of Polish legislative relics in Warsaw, Wilanów, Poznań, Gniezno, Gdańsk, Malbork, Elbląg, Toruń, Moscow[42]. “I was the closest associate of Balzer in the drudgery of this monumental piece of work – Dąbrowski recalled in 1934 – and I know it the best how long the work was and how many journeys it demanded, how much trouble, how many costs, how many archives and libraries you had to visit, how many hundreds or even thousands of old books, manuscripts, documents to rummage, how exhausting it was to read blurred letters, to copy and to collate, how many letters with detailed instructions Balzer needed to write to me and how many reports I had to send him” [43].
Since October 1899 Przemysław Dąbkowski carried out the enquiry in the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. It was located in the building situated at the intersection of streets Krasińskich and Długa. Its head was Teodor Wierzbowski, a professor of Polish literature at the Imperial University[44], a publisher of „Matricularum regni Poloniae summaria”.[45] In this institution he found a lot of precious documents for the publication of Polish acts from the times of Sigismund I. “Professor Balzer who ran this publication – recalled Przemysław Dąbkowski – expressed himself well in one of his letters: «[…] it fills my heart that we keep finding so much new and interesting material and that there is so much of it»”[46].The Academy of Learning which sponsored the achievement kept urging him. Therefore he spent most of his time in the archives workshops. He worked “in a rush” though in spite of it his stay in Warsaw prolonged from planned three months to eleven. He had to do almost everything by himself because he did not succeed in finding a regular assistant for looking through hundreds of volumes of documents and collating new source documents with already known ones. Even archivists employed in this building who constantly supplemented their poor wages spent little time with him. “To find an assistant for collating – he wrote – to find a copyist who is familiar with old Polish-Latin writing from 16th century was out of question […] Some prolongation of my archival work was caused by purely formal procedure which was restricted by the management of this institution in relation to researchers. They watched very carefully if I do not cross the limits established in my permission during my archival enquiry. I was not given other catalogues besides the official ones. On that score I had to depend on the archives workers’ pieces of information. The Russian system was evident there because with the same strictness, yet even more intensified, I was to meet in Moscow soon[47].
A lot of material was provided by Dąbkowski’s enquiry in the Zamoyska Ordinance Library and first of all in so called Teki Górskiego which were kept there. He was kindly welcomed by two great personalities: Tadeusz Korzon, an outstanding historian, the author of Wewnętrzne dzieje Polski za Stanisława Augusta 1764–1794[48] and Stefan Żeromski, a prosaist, a poet and the author of Ludzie bezdomni, Przedwiośnie.
In the Zamoyska Ordinance Library he found the materials related to Armenian issues. Its director Aleksander Rembowski, an expert in Polish law history[49], who showed great interest in the publication Corpus iuris Polonici, offered facilities for his enquiry borrowing the manuscripts he could work on after the library was closed.
In Warsaw Dąbkowski met a lot of representatives of an intellectual elite. Apart from scholars whom he met in the archives workshops, he had an opportunity to come into contact with writers, journalists, lawyers and more over people connected with industry and trade in the salons of his relatives and their friends. He established a lasting friendship with Henryk Konic, the editor of “Gazeta Sądowa Warszawska”, later the professor of law at the Warsaw University, Stanisław van der Noot Kijeński, an attorney, a well-known social worker, a philanthropist and Stanisław Posner, a lawyer, later the senator of Rzeczypospolita Polska.
Przemysław Dąbkowski often commuted by railway from Warsaw to the Branickich Library in Wilanów. There were the Acta Tomiciana and a manuscript of the Goryński statutes from 1531 which were of his interest. Kazimierz Przecławski who was managing the library gave him the run of its collection. The use of them was difficult because of a hard journey. The neighborhood was “sandy”, the carriages were open and airy. Passengers of a railway to Wilanów were “completely covered with dust” [50].
At the beginning of 1901 Dąbkowski went to Poznań. Rich archive collections of this town kept him there for a month and a half. He spent most of his time in the Royal Prussian State Archives (Königlich Preussisches Staatsarchiv). There was stored a significant amount of old Polish court books, town and land ones from Greater Poland, a precious collection of diplomas and town archives of Poznań. In its reference collections there were stored almost all records which referred to this district’s history[51]. The institution’s lack of interest in Polish relics of the past and reserved treatment of the researchers must have had a great impact on the young scholar. He was surprised that the collection was barely used. His presence in the Raczyńskich Library, which was managed by Polish, was rare. The access to them was limited only to afternoons.
Przemysław Dąbkowski also conducted his enquiry in the local church archives, consistorial and capitular. The first of them was managed by bishop Edward Likowski, a president of the Poznań Society of Friends of Learning acting for the development of national culture[52]. The other was under priest Jedzinek control, a prelate and a rector of the Seminary.
In the middle of February 1901 Przemysław Dąbkowski came to Gniezno. Thanks to a priest Stanisław Adamski’s[53] kindness, a cathedral vicar who shared the church archive collections in his own department, he studied the manuscripts of his interest during a few days.
After a short stay in Lvov he went to Gdańsk to conduct an enquiry in the Town Archive (Stadterchiv). In that time it was in a stage of reorganization. It was intended to convert it in a state institution. It was situated on the third floor of the Gdańsk town hall. The most precious records were kept in the “Krzysztofor” meeting room. A part of the collection was kept in the tower called Stockturm located in the Długa street. He also studied the resources of the Town Library (Stadtbibliothek).
Dąbkowski was also in Toruń in the Town Archives were he intended to conduct an enquiry. A few thousands of diplomas and official town books were stored there. The head of the archive, Artur Semrau, a historian, a teacher in gymnasium made the desired documents available for him enabling him to extract the most information. Dąbkowski used also the resources of the Library of the Gymnasium in Toruń. He made a lot of copies and extracts from the manuscripts kept there.
In the middle of May 1902 he went to Moscow to read the collection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives. Strict regulations of this institution letting to use its resources only for three hours a day made the enquiry difficult. After making some extracts from the available materials he came back to Lvov in the middle of June 1902[54].
The director of the Archives appreciated Przemysław Dabkowski’s input. He supported his efforts to get a post of an adjunct[55]. “Dąbrowski’s work was characterized mainly – wrote Balzer – by scrupulosity, eagerness and punctuality together with sincere passion. Besides he always had great knowledge of the matter and it meant all the possible archival issues, in organizing books and segregation of individual categories, in specifying their character and the meaning of individual records, in arranging an inventory and making indexes and finally in conducting enquiries […] on frequent occasions I had an opportunity to become convinced of his elaborate and comprehensive knowledge of Latin and also old office and court language […] he acquired outstanding proficiency in reading of old writing overcoming even the biggest difficulties so, without exaggeration, nowadays he can be included among the most proficient palaeographers”[56].
In years 1905-1907 the Bernardine Archive overtook the collection of the ground metrics of Galicia from 1789 and 1820 comprising about twelve thousand volumes[57]. The Conservative Group of Eastern Galicia suggested in 1903 to give the cadastral books in the deposit of this institution. Its head Ludwik Finkel turned to the National Division with the concerns that such undertaking will have serious financial consequences and the National Division postponed the final decision. It accepted the proposal only under the influence of Oswald Balzer’s argumentation. In the letter from 19th February 1905 to the national authorities he wrote: “Jozefinski cadastral books are the excellent source material for the historical-statistical research in the field of social possession history and most of all the agriculture of Galicia in the first period of Austrian domination, and at the same time an invaluable source for retrospective reconstruction of economic relations of this country in the last period of existence of Rzeczypospolita Polska, sometimes even for explaining the relations and organization of an original Polish village […] In the current state of affairs when these books are under the possession of the tax authorities this kind of work (research work – R.N.) is precluded both by formal difficulties […] and by inadequate, unheated room; designed for storing them without any appropriate devices for research work […] in consequence of the improper location of these books and therefore necessity of abandonment of relevant research our science has already suffered great harm”[58].
These metrics, meaning the cadastral ground books conveyed under the emperor Joseph II regulation from 1785 as a new tax assessment base[59], were a precious source material for study of socio-economic relations of Galicia. Cadastre, finally completed in 1789 was held under the control of the state commissions based on statements of taxpayers. It was made in every community where all ground and houses owners were recorded according to the numbers of plots and buildings. There was given a size of plots, their kind (fields, meadows – R.N.), average annual income, kinds of grown corn[60]. Moreover in almost every book they put a detailed description of village boarders and topographic and local data[61]. At the end there was a general specification of properties of “dominium, a vicar and people”. That cadastre was valid till 1820 when it was replaced by the new one compiled in years 1817-1820.
The books of the new cadastre which were being supplemented till 1849 with additional records, eventually, after introducing new tax regulations, shared the fate of the cadastre from 1789. They were moved to inadequate rooms, often dark and damp basements where they were exposed to destruction.
The difficult task of taking over these collections was undertaken by Przemysław Dąbkowski. “Till today I remember – he recalled – how in a small wooden room rigged up particularly for that purpose, in a great entrance hall of the court building, on the Cłowy square, in a cloud of dust, twice, first in August and September 1907 and then in the period between 1st August and 13th October 1908 I made this momentous act of transferring the deposit of over eleven thousand fascicles from tax authorities to the National Archives following Balzer’s instructions and with a student Mieczysław Elmer’s help. Luckily those clouds of dust did not do any harm to my lungs” [62]. After drawing up – under his supervision – an inventory, metrical books which were transferred to appropriate rooms, cleaned and organized, divided according to old Galician districts were put within researchers’ reach. Archivists made extracts and duplicates of taken books at administration authorities’ request.
Under the supervision of Oswald Balzer hand-written repertories from the most important town and land records of Sanok and Halych were completed. The inventory of the city of Przemyśl was almost finished[63]. Moreover a lot of supplements were made to the volume X of “Town and land records” [64] published in print by Ksawer Liske. The Bernardine Archive kept its previous character under the skillful management of Liske’s student. It resembled a research establishment. The archivists employed there did not limit their work only to conservatory activities. They often took up scientific research on their own initiative. Within the walls of this institution Balzer wrote most of his works. Antoni Prochaska developed monumental publications: “Kodeks Witoldowy” and twenty five volumes of “Town and land records”. A few precious theses devoted to archive research based on resources stored in the Archive were written by Przemysław Dąbkowski[65] and Stefan Sochaniewicz published a directory of its resources in 1912[66].
After the outbreak of I World War even during Russian occupation (from 3rd September 1914 to 21st June 1915) the Bernardine Archive was functioning by sharing its collections with local scholars, students and people looking for genealogical information including those who came to Lvov with the Russian army. The lack of finances made it impossible to take steps to increase the collections. Even the number of conservatory work was limited. However relative peace let the archivists continue their research work. Antoni Prochaska prepared then a dissertation about king Albert’s Wallachian expedition from 1497, Stefan Sochaniewicz developed the catalogue of archival diplomas and prepared the book of the city Drohobycz from 15th century for print. Przemysław Dąbkowski kept the chronicle of the Bernardine Archives and developed the collections of town and land books of each municipality[67].
In 1919 the National Archive of Town and Land Records in Lvov was overtaken by Polish archival authorities. The name was changed to the Land Archive[68]. Oswald Balzer remained on the post of a director of the institution. By virtue of his office he became a member of the Polish State Archival Council. In 1923 at the request of that body he introduced two extensive opinions about the provisions of prepared act of state archives. He made a number of amendments to the project of the regulation on fiscal charges and archival regulations.
In the twenties and beginnings of thirties of 20th century in the Bernardine Archive apart from usual archival activities, some research was still conducted. Antoni Prochaska almost till the end of his days studied the archive resources and prepared materials for next volumes of “Town and land records” and even transferred some part of his salary to the printing if that publication [69]. Based on the Bernardine Archive collections Przemysław Dąbkowski wrote over a dozen of precious works on the history of court books. In the privacy of it Balzer’s pieces of work were created[70]. Still next generations of young students of learning were improving their academic workshop in that establishment. Being in contact with the resources on the base of which “you could build a number of conclusions, clear up quite a number of the national history pages” [71], gave them a solid foundation for further research of the history of the south-eastern lands of old Rzeczypospolita [72]. In 1933, after Oswald Balzer’s death, the Land Archive managed by him was incorporated into the Lvov State Archive.
Summary
Situated in old rooms of the Bernardine monastery the National Archive of Town and Land Records in Lvov, storing Polish town and land books gave Polish society the access to precious documents and protected them from damage for over a half of a century (1879-1933). The arranged town and land archives of south-eastern districts of former Rzeczypospolita which after its liquidation were located in contemporary Galicia and records of Lubelski Tribunal from the Bracław, Kiev, Volhynian and Chernihiv Voivodeships which were transported to Lvov by Austrian authorities were also valuable research material for the scholars gathered in the building. The first director of the National Archive of Town and Land Records was Ksawery Liske, an eminent expert in history and a professor at The University of Lviv. He rendered the archive collection accessible to civil servants, scientists, people trying to establish their family relations and also to young people studying history and law. The institution became an academic workshop for archival workers employed there and for students serving their apprenticeship. Oswald Balzer, his successor, continued the initiated conservatory work and scientific activities. He appointed the most talented seminarists to apprentice posts who were prepared to conducting their individual research. Later many of them undertook scientific activity in higher education. Some of them became professors. Over the years the archive extended its collections. The documentation handed there in a form of deposits also by the state court in Lvov, after describing, enabled to increase the knowledge of Polish independence actions. The collection of ground metrics of Galicia from 1789 and 1820 comprising about twelve thousand volumes were valuable source material for studying socio-economic relations. In 1919 the National Archive of Town and Land Records in Lvov was overtaken by Polish archival authorities. The name was changed to the Land Archives then. In the twentieth and beginnings of thirtieth of 20th century in the Bernardine Archives apart from usual archival activities some research was still conducted. The next generations of young students of learning were improving their academic workshop in that establishment. Being in contact with the resources gave them a solid foundation for further research of the history of the south-eastern lands of old Rzeczypospolita. In 1933 the Land Archive was incorporated into the Lvov State Archive.
[1] See more A. Tomczak, Zarys dziejów archiwów polskich, Toruń 1982, p. 92-97.
[2] In the nineteenth century individual countries’ administrations created incomparably bigger amounts of current records than in an earlier period. Growth of record creating factors had consequences in economical and technical development. More and more governmental, social and economical institutions were beginning to have problems with storing huge amounts of records which began missing space. (Ibid., s. 98).
[3] The factor which activated formation of archives has become a liquidation of Prussian administration on a big area of former Poland in 1806 and Austrian administration in 1809 and also russification of former Polish kingdom that began in 1867 (Ibid.).
[4] National Archive of Town and Land Records’ common name owns to its location in a building belonging in the past to Bernardine monastery (P. Dąbkowski, Krajowe Archiwum Akt grodzkich i ziemskich we Lwowie, „Gazeta Sądowa Warszawska” from 13 August 1898, no 33.
[5] See more W. Louis, Początkowe sądownictwo austriackie w Galicji (1772-1784), „Przegląd Prawa i Administracji” 1896, t XXI; B. Grużewski, Ordynacja sądów ziemskich i grodzkich w Galicji 1778 r., Lwów 1909.
[6] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich we Lwowie, Lwów 1912, p. 33.
[7] P. Dąbkowski, Krajowe Archiwum akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich [w:] Lwów, jego rozwój i stan kulturalny oraz przewodnik po mieście, Lwów 1907, p. 511.
[8] Ibid..
[9] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe…, p. 34.
[10] P. Dąbkowski, Krajowe Archiwum… [w:] Lwów, jego rozwój i stan kulturalny…, p. 512.
[11] Without books from Cracow and its surroundings.
[12] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe…, p. 35.
[13] P. Dąbkowski, Krajowe Archiwum… [w:] Lwów, jego rozwój i stan kulturalny…, p. 513.
[14] Earlier, in May 1869, Vienna authorities proposed the National Department to take over Polish Court books stored in Cracow.
[15] In the diet commission report which dealt with this matter it was emphasized that taking possession of the town and land records’ archive [Lvov and Cracow – R.N.] is the „country’s” duty and that the collection is the most valuable relic of “historical and social being of Polish people living in Galicia” (S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe…, p. 37).
[16] Ksawery Liske was the author of the following titles: Marcin Kromer, biskup warmiński – dziejopis wieku XVI, Poznań 1869; Bolesław Chrobry i Otto III w Gnieźnie, Lwów 1869; Austria wobec trzeciego rozbioru Polski, Lwów 1870; Szczerbiec i złote wrota kijowskie, Kraków 1869; Konstytucja 3 maja i mocarstwa niemieckie, Lwów 1873; Cudzoziemcy w Polsce, Lwów 1876; Elekcja w Rzeszy r. 1519, Warszawa 1876; Filip Avril i jego pobyt w Polsce, Warszawa 1877.
[17] F. Bostel, Wspomnienie pośmiertne, „Muzeum” 1891, VII, p. 215-220.
[18] Such individualists like Oswald Balzer, Wiktor Czermak, Ludwik Finkel, Stanisław Lukas, Antoni Prochaska, Adam Szelągowski were developing under his direction.
[19] H. Polaczkówna, Dr Antoni Prochaska – kustosz Archiwum Ziemskiego we Lwowie, „Archeion” 1930, z. VIII, p. 3-4.
[20] F. Bostel, Wspomnienie pośmiertne…, p. 216.
[21] H. Polaczkówna, Dr Antoni Prochaska…, p. 3.
[22] He also made efforts to edit in 1882 Codex epistolaris Vitoldi which consisted of over a thousand pages.
[23] See more J. Jakubowski, Prace archiwalne Prochaski nad dziejami Litwy, „Archeion” 1930, z. VIII, p. 9-13.
[24] Balzer was studying law and at the same time was attending his lectures of general history and took part in the seminar. He was learning the most up-to-date research achievements in the field of diplomatics and palaeography He was studying how to read and critically interpret mediaeval resources. He wrote three seminar works under a supervision of Liski: Rozbiór krytyczny relacji o bitwie pod Białą Górą; Udział Polski w wojnie trzydziestoletniej, aż do bitwy pod Białą Górą; Sądownictwo polskie za Zygmunta I i Zygmunta Augusta. They gained recognition of the head of the seminar. He noticed a great talent and affection to research work at his young student of law. (R. Nowacki, Dyrektor Archiwum Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich we Lwowie, „Archeion” 2000, CI, p. 63-64).
[25] H. Polaczkówna, Oswald Marian Balzer, „Archeion” 1933, vol. XI, p. 9–10.
[26] I quote from Helena Polaczkówna, Oswald Marian Balzer…, p. 11.
[27] F. Bostel, Wspomnienie pośmiertne…, p. 216-217.
[28] H. Polaczkówna, Oswald Marian Balzer…, p. 11.
[29] Pursuant to a resolution of the Sejm from 21st August 1877.
[30] H. Polaczkówna, Oswald Marian Balzer…, p. 12.
[31] Ibid.
[32] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe…, p. 40.
[33] Ibid..
[34] S. Ptaszycki, Moje wspomnienie o śp. profesorze Oswaldzie Balzerze, „Archeion” 1933, vol. XI, p. 5.
[35] H. Polaczkówna, Oswald Marian Balzer…, p. 16.
[36] P. Dąbkowski, Pokłosie z dwudziestu lat pracy naukowej zebrane 1896-1906, Lwów 1907, p. 71.
[37] R. Nowacki, Oswald Balzer – dyrektor Archiwum…, p. 66.
[38] The Academy of Learning in Cracow turned to O. Balzer with the proposal of editing the relics of Polish legislation (from the year 1506) (Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie – dalej: AGAD, Dział rękopisów, Zespół: Ministerstwo Wyznań i Oświaty – dalej: MWO, sygn., 101u, Życiorys, k. 649).
[39] Corpus iuris Polonici, setcionis primae, Priwilegia, statuta, constitutiones, edicta, decreta, mandata Regnum Poloniae spectantia comprehendentis, Volumen tertium, annos 1506–1522 continens, oprac. O. Balzer, Kraków 1906, p. XVIII–XIX.
[40] In older publications a number of component articles of Sejm constitutions was omitted (rec. B. Grużewskiego: O. Balzer, Corpus iuris Polonici…, „Przegląd Prawa i Administracji” 1907, XXXII, z. 1, p. 778).
[41] Ibid.
[42] AGAD, Dział rkps., Zespół MWO, sygn., 101u, Życiorys, k. 650.
[43] P. Dąbkowski, Oswald Balzer. Życie i dzieła (1858–1933), Lwów 1934, p. 54–55.
[44] University of Warsaw was founded in 1816 as the Rogal University of Warsaw out of the Law and Administration School and the Medical School. In 1831 it was closed by the Tsar’s authorities. In years 1862–1869 it operated under the name of: the Szkoła Główna Warszawska, and after 1869 as Russian Imperial Uniwersity (Nowy leksykon PWN, Warszawa 1998, p. 1842).
[45] Individual parts of this publication which covered the summaries of all records included in the books of the rogal registry – Metryka Koronna, were published in years 1905–1912 (v. „Matricularum regni Poloniae summaria”, vol. I–IV, Warszawa 1905, 1907, 1908, 1910–1912).
[46] P. Dąbkowski, Wspomnienia z podróży…, p. 9.
[47] Ibid., p. 10–11.
[48] Zob. szerzej B. Grochulska, Tadeusz Korzon (1839–1918) [w:] Historycy warszawscy ostatnich dwóch stuleci, pod red. A. Gieysztora, J. Maternickiego, H. Samsonowicza, Warszawa 1986, p. 115–132; W. Kamieniecki, Historycy i politycy warszawscy 1900–1950, Warszawa 1992, p. 39–47; A. Śródka, Uczeni polscy XIX i XX stulecia, vol. II, Warszawa 1995, p. 267–269.
[49] A. Śródka, Uczeni polscy XIX -XX stulecia, vol. III, Warszawa 1997, p. 534–535.
[50] R. Nowacki, Przemysław Dąbkowski. Profesor Uniwersytetu Jana Kazimierza, Opole 2002, p. 53.
[51] Ibid.
[52] See more A. Wojtkowski, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk w Poznaniu w latach 1857–1927, Poznań 1928, p. 339–346.
[53] See more Księga pamiątkowa Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego w pierwszych latach jego istnienia 1919–1923, Poznań 1925, p. 155–156.
[54] R. Nowacki, Przemysław Dąbkowski (1877-1950). Profesor Uniwersytetu Jana Kazimierza…, p. 56.
[55] The New Records Archive (further: AAN), The team: the Ministry of Religion and Public Education (further: MWRiOP), Personal records of Przemysław Dąbkowski no 2159, P. Dąbkowski’s opinion left by O. Balzer from 8th March 1901, k. 136.
[56] Ibib, k. 136–137.
[57] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich we Lwowie, Lwów 1912, p. 52–53.
[58]I quote from Przemysław Dąbkowski, Oswald Balzer…, p. 98-99.
[59] See: H. Chodynicki, Metryka józefińska, „Słowo Polskie” 1907, no 468.
[60] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe…, p. 52.
[61] Ibid.
[62] P. Dąbkowski, Oswald Balzer…, p. 99.
[63] H. Polaczkówna, Oswald Marian Balzer…, p. 14-15.
[64] Due to the high cost of painting the supplements were left in a manuscript (Ibid., p. 15).
[65] Ibid., p. 16-17.
[66] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe Akt Grodzkich i Ziemskich we Lwowie, Lwów 1912.
[67] P. Dąbkowski, Pokłosie z dwudziestu lat pracy naukowej zebrane 1896-1916, Lwów 1917, p. 73.
[68] A. Tomczak, Zarys dziejów archiwów polskich…, p. 129.
[69] H. Polaczkówna, Dr Antoni Prochaska…, p. 6.
[70] Following publications: Geneza Trybunału Koronnego (1886), Walka o tron krakowski w latach 1202–1210/11 (1894), Genealogia Piastów (1895), O następstwie tronu w Polsce (1897), Historia ustroju Austrii w zarysie (1899), O zadrudze słowiańskiej (1899), Z powodu nowego zarysu historii ustroju Polski (1906), O kilku kwestiach spornych z historii ustroju Polski (1907), Państwo polskie w pierwszym siedemdziesięcioleciu XIV i XVI wieku (1907), Skartabelat w ustroju szlachectwa polskiego (1911), Stolice Polski 963–1138 (1916), Skarbiec i Archiwum koronne w dobie przedjagiellońskiej (1917), Królestwo Polskie 1295–1370, vol. I-III (1919-1920), Narzaz w systemie danin książęcych pierwotnej Polski (1928).
[71] S. Sochaniewicz, Archiwum Krajowe…, p. 54.
[72] The person convinced of that was Stefan Sochaniewicz who wrote in 1912: „A historian of law or a political historian, a social or economic relations researcher, a palaeographer, a person engaged in diplomatical or sphragistic research, or even a literature historian – everyone will find (in the Bernardine Archive – R.N.) for himself vast material from all periods and centuries of development and history of Poland (Ibid.).