Section for the Historical-Geographical Dictionary of Lesser Poland
Head: Dr Waldemar Bukowski
Contact: Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków
phone: 012 428 64 45
e-mail: shgk@ih.pan.krakow.pl
The Cracow section consists of 5 researchers whose main task as a team is to prepare entries for the Cracow Dictionary. The communal effort of the team is organised in two-year cycles. In addition, the team has been working on the dictionary of the Ruthenian lands. Thus far, an electronic version of the settlement records of the Lviv region has been completed, while those for the lands of Halicz and Przemyśl are are nearing completion within the scheme of research grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Apart from that, the members of the section conduct their own research and editorial projects.
Recently, within the scheme of the National Programme for Development in Humanities, the section has published fascicle 2 of part 5 of the Dictionary (its printed version was released in 2019). Fascicle 3 of the same part is currently in preparation (to the letter N).
As regards the editorial projects, the major tasks of the section include an edition of the second Cracow land register from the late 14th century (W. Bukowski, M. Zdanek) and the 15-volume cartographic edition of the Austrian topographic map of the “Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria” (known as the Friedrich von Mieg map) from the late 18th century (W. Bukowski, in cooperation with Z. Noga (Pedagogical University of Cracow), Andrzej Janeczek (IAiE PAN), Zdzisław Budzyński (Rzeszów University) and Bogusław Dybas (IH PAN)) – 12 volumes have been published so far. From 2019, under the NPRH grant, work is underway on editing the multi-volume Austrian map of the so-called Nowa Galicja from 1801–1804, covering the areas of the third partition north of the Vistula.
In addition, an electronic version of Materiały do kodeksu dyplomatycznego Małopolski t. V z lat 1451–1506 [Materials for the Diplomatic Codex of Lesser Poland vol. 5 for the years 1451–1506] (c. 1,600 pp.; W. Bukowski, F. Sikora, J. Wroniszewski). As part of an NPRH-funded grant project, work has begun on a critical edition of the subsequent Cracow judicial records of the 14th and 15th centuries (W. Bukowski, F. Sikora). So far, in 2019, the most ancient Krakow town books from 1406–1409 as part of the series Monuments to Polish Law of the Polish Academy of Sciences [Pomniki Prawa Polskiego IH PAN] were published in cooperation with F. Sikora. The Krakow Judiciary Book from 1408–1416 (Księga ławnicza krakowska z lat 1408–1416), ed. Marcin Starzyński from the Jagiellonian University in cooperation with Patrycja Wiencierz IH PAN) is also ready for printing. Editions of subsequent land and city books are planned: Kraków, Biecz and Lublin from the time of Władysław Jagiełło. All these editions are intended for the abovementioned Monuments to Polish Law series [Pomniki Prawa Polskiego IH PAN].
Dr Joanna Brzegowy employed in the Section since September 1, 2022. In October 2022 she received her doctoral degree for her dissertation Rodzina Czernych herbu Nowina w średniowieczu i czasach nowożytnych. Studium kariery, written under the supervision of Professor Marian Wolski. Her research interests include genealogy and heraldry, medieval and modern socio-economic history.
Dr Waldemar Bukowski – his research interests include the social and economic history of late medieval Lesser Poland and auxiliary disciplines of history (genealogy in particular). He has co-edited Korespondencja żupnika krakowskiego Mikołaja Serafina 1437–1459, Kraków 2006 (together with A. Skolimowska and T. Płóciennik), seven volumes of the von Mieg map (Galicja na józefińskiej mapie topograficznej 1779–1783, Kraków, 2012–2017), Księga ziemska krakowska 2 z lat 1394–1397, Warszawa, 2012 (all works completed under the auspices of IH PAN and owing to the funding received from NPRH), and Materiały do kodeksu dyplomatycznego Małopolski (as a co-author and editor). In 2013, in recognition of his editorial activities, he was awarded first prize in the Stefan Kuczyński Competition (organised by the Studia Źródłoznawcze journal) for his edition of the von Mieg map and second prize for his edition of the Cracow land register. Currently, he has prepared for publication (together with J. Wroniszewski) edition of the Cracow land register 3 from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, a selection of Krakow court records from 1401–1516 (new Helcel). He is planning to edit two more books: court book terrestria Cracoviensia 4 and the oldest book of the higher court of German law in Biecz from the end of the 14th century. At the same time, he is preparing the two oldest financial registers of the University of Krakow from the 15th–16th centuries (the accounting book of Collegium Maius from the second half of the 15th century and the financial registers of prosecutor Mikołaj from Koprzywnica from 1506–1518). He is also the chief investigator of the two grant project entitled “Epoka jagiellońska i jej dziedzictwo w I Rzeczypospolitej do 1795 r. – historia sztuki, kultury materialnej, dzieje piśmiennictwa” [“The Jagiellonian period and its heritage under the First Republic before 1795: a history of the arts, material culture and literature”] and “Topograficzna mapa Galicji Zachodniej z lat 1801–1804, tzw. Mapa Heldensfelda” [“Topographic map of Western Galicia from 1801–1804, the so-called Heldensfeld map”].
Dr Jacek Laberschek – his research work was focused on reconstructing the natural landscape of Lesser Poland in the Middle Ages, the development of medieval settlements, particularly the history of small and large Lesser Poland towns and the development of the city and its settlement patterns. His published books include: Częstochowa i jej okolice w średniowieczu, Kraków, 2006; Średniowieczne dzieje nadwarciańskiego Mstowa, Kraków, 2014; Pod Krakowem. Monografia historyczna gminy Michałowice (co-author), Kraków, 2014; Sieć wodna średniowiecznego Krakowa i jej gospodarcze wykorzystanie, Warszawa, 2016; Dzieje średniowiecznego Lelowa, Lelów 2018. For several years, he has been preparing the book: Development of the urban space of the Krakow agglomeration in the Middle Ages.
Mr Michał Schmidt – employed in the Section since 1 October 2014, he is working on his doctoral dissertation Finanse miasta Lwowa w późnym średniowieczu (1404–1514). His main research interests include the history of towns and town-dwellers, with particular emphasis on crafts and city economies. His published studies include articles on the judicial system of craftsmen’s guilds, the significance of weaving workshops in Kazimierz near Cracow (with Marcin Starzyński) and the citizenship records of Cracow (with Mateusz Król) as well as the edition of the oldest finansial records of the city of Przemyśl from the end of the 15th century (with Anna Łosowska). In addition, he prepared for publication, with M. Starzyński, an edition of the notes regarding the avectio of Małopolska cities until the end of the 15th century (under the NPRH grant) ang he is preparing his edition of the register of the Kleparz drapers’ guild of 1423–1614. In 2016, he was a visiting student at the Institut für Vergleichende Städtegeschichte in Münster owing to a DAAD-funded scholarship.
Dr Franciszek Sikora – the long-standing director of the Section, renowned for his significant research achievements, continues to support the team with his experience and works on the social history of the Middle Ages, settlement patterns, auxiliary disciplines of history, and source editing. He conducts extensive research on the social background of the confederation of Spytek from Melsztyn from 1439. In 2017, a collection of his works entitled Małopolskie późne średniowiecze. Ludzie i instytucje. Wybór pism, red. W. Bukowski, A. Gąsiorowski, G. Rutkowska, Warszawa 2017 [Lesser Poland late Middle Ages. People and institutions. Selection of papers]. This year, he is awaiting publication of his extensive text for the monograph of Borzęcin in the Old Polish period entitled Dzieje Borzęcina w średniowieczu [The history of Borzęcin in the Middle Ages]. He prepares extensive entries for the next fascile of the Dictionary: Niepołomice, Niepołomice eldership, Niepołomicka Puszcza. At the end of 2019 he retired.
Dr Janusz Szyszka – his research concentrates on the history of settlements and land ownership in Red Ruthenia. In June 2013, he received his doctoral degree from Nicholas Copernicus University in Toruń for his dissertation, written under the supervision of Professor Jan Wroniszewski and entitled Dobra monarsze w ziemi lwowskiej w latach 1340–1504, which served as the basis for his book Formowanie i organizacja dóbr monarszych w ziemi lwowskiej od połowy XIV do początku XV wieku (its appendix includes a dictionary of royal settlements in the area) published in 2016. He is currently working on the project entitled “Osadnictwo ziemi halickiej do połowy XVI w.” [“Settlements in Halicz land before the mid-16th century”]. He is a participant of grant „Epoka Jagiellońska i jej dziedzictwo w I Rzeczypospolitej” [„The Jagiellonian period and its heritage under the First Republic before 1795”], under which he participates in the project „Zastawy królewszczyzn do końca XV w.” [“Pledges of crown lands until the end of the 15th century”]. Works on the Historical and geographical Dictionary of the Lviv region of his co-authorship were planned.
Mr Tomasz Walczak – employed in the Section since October 1, 2019. His research interests relate to the history of the late Middle Ages, auxiliary sciences of history and historiography.
The Section holds a regular seminar for graduate and doctoral students from Cracow universities, co-organised by IH PAN and the Pontifical University of John Paul II (Recently, pursuant to a cooperation agreement between the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical University of John Paul II), devoted to the study of medieval and early modern historical sources, entitled Secrets of medieval and early modern sources. The seminar is chaired by Dr hab. Marian Wołkowski-Wolski, who before 2013 was employed in the Department of the Dictionary of Polish Lands in the Middle Ages, currently an employee of the above mentioned University.
