Podlasie Region Research Articles

Geovisualization in Cultural Research of Borderlands: The Example of the Podlasie Region in Poland

Geovisualization in Cultural Research of Borderlands: The Example of the Podlasie Region in Poland

Of community and kołduny: Food, identity, inclusion, and exclusion among Polish Tatars

Polish Tatars are a minority Muslim community who have lived on the Eastern borderlands of Poland for over 600 years, forming an integral part of Poland despite distinct social and religious customs. I argue that food practices among Polish Tatars in the Podlasie region, rather than being merely a symbolic means of expressing difference, actively create community as forces of both exclusion and inclusion. Affective bonds are reinforced through the bringing together of individuals in the space of the kitchen to cook and consume Polish Tatar food during holidays, but fears of assimilation and loss of identity are reinforced by a perceived weakening of these practices among the youth. Food practices in restaurants represent the community as a type of familiar alterity that is both distinct from, and yet a part of, wider Polish society, while simultaneously mosques complicate binary conceptions of food as belonging exclusively to one group. The contested consumption of pork and alcohol connects Polish Tatars to the wider Polish population as “our Muslims,” while also creating boundaries with non-Tatar Muslims. In this paper, food is understood as an agentic force that actively crafts group boundaries of belonging through processes of inclusion and exclusion.

‘Coat Thieves’ and Bandits? Belarusian Counter-Memory of the ‘Cursed Soldiers’

In the article, we analyse attitudes of representatives of the Belarusian minority in Poland towards the armed anti-communist underground operating in the Podlasie region after 1944 (the so-called ‘cursed soldiers’). Drawing on semi-structured interviews with various Belarusian actors, as well as on observations made during field research in the Podlasie region in June 2021, we are able to illustrate a clash between official commemorative practices and the local and communicative memory of the Belarusians. We analyse the role played by the collective memory of the underground among the Belarusian minority in Podlasie against the backdrop of the hegemonic politics of memory that glorifies the ‘cursed soldiers’ as national heroes. The analysis of counter-hegemonic memory accounts and their relation to dominant narratives uncovers the emotions generated by the hegemonic politics of memory among representatives of the Belarusian minority, who generally regard it as depreciating their experience and evoking a sense of endangerment. We show that Belarusian memory is perceived as incompatible with the ideological assumptions of the hegemonic Polish memory; therefore, we want to give voice to the marginalised representatives of the Belarusian minority. However, the Belarusian minority should not be perceived as a homogenous group – our analysis points to the fact that various actors various actors negotiate the hegemonic politics of memory in various ways when faced with the pressure of assimilation.

Freski w cerkwi św. Gabriela Monasteru Narodzenia NMP w Zwierkach: próba systematyki

Frescoes in Orthodox churches are indispensable element that has accompanied the Orthodox for many years. The first iconographic representations appeared in the early centuries of Christianity. Over time, after the legalization of the religion, Byzantine iconography began to gradually develop. It was from these regions, thanks to the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and ultimately after the baptism of Rus', that it reached the Slavic lands and today's Podlasie region. Near Białystok, there is the Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Zwierki, which is one of the relatively young monastic communities in Poland. This place serves as a pilgrimage destination as well as a sanctuary for the relics of St. Martyr Gabriel of Zabłudów. The main church of the monastery, dedicated to the local saint, has a unique and incredibly rich iconographic scheme of frescoes. These frescoes refer to the life of the saint and depict many contemporary saints, as well as scenes from the life of the Patroness of the monastery. The style itself refers to the old-Russian style, allowing us to feel the spirit of ancient temples. This work describes and systematizes the frescoes of the temple in detail to deepen their understanding and examination, as well as to catalog them for future use in scientific research.

Assessment of environmental performance on farms using FADN: a case study of the Region of Mazowsze and Podlasie

Agri-environmental Schemes are the main agricultural policy instrument currently available in the European Union to help improve the relationship between agriculture and the environment. The conducted research included the assessment of AES (Agri-environmental Schemes) implementation in the Region of Mazowsze and Podlasie, Poland. This Region is characterized by worse natural, organizational, and production conditions than in other Regions in Poland. Out of the 292 analyzed farms, 146 formed the research sample, while another 146 constituted the control sample. In 2010 and 2014, all analyzed farms kept entries in accounting books under FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network). All farms were classified according to TF8 as fieldcrops, milk, and mixed. For each type of farm, a research and control sample were distinguished. The research sample included farms that participated in the AES, whereas the control sample comprised farms that did not join the program. For each farm from the research sample, the most similar farm was selected in the control group, taking into account its type and location. The conducted study confirmed that the implementation of the AES has a positive effect on the environment, as it results in lower use of synthetic fertilizers, crop protection products, and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions per ha. However, the research showed that the costs of reduction of GHG emissions are very high. In 2014, the cost of a decrease of 1 Mg CO2 eq amounted to 1,302 PLN on fieldcrop farms, 611 PLN on milk farms, and 1,112 PLN on mixed farms. This is important information for policy makers, as it indicates that, while planning subsequent pro-environmental programs, it is crucial to perform a cost-benefit analysis and an ex ante assessment of the costs of planned activities in relation to the expected environmental effects.

Appearance of the rotifer community as a potential indicator of stable paleohydrological conditions in peatlands since the Late Glacial: a case study of three wetlands in Poland

In paleolimnological studies, rotifers are usually a very rare component in multiproxy research. These small invertebrates are identified from sediments by their loricas. Analysis of subfossil rotifers was conducted for sediment cores collected from three peatlands in within Poland: the Grel raised bog (S Poland, Carpathians, Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin), the Imszar raised bog (NE Poland, Podlasie Region), and the Podemszczyzna peatland (SE Poland, Sandomierz Basin). Results were compared with multiproxy analyses of peat deposits: pollen of aquatic and mire plants, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), and geochemical analyses. Analysis of the rotifers indicated the occurrence of the bdelloid species Habrotrocha angusticollis (Murray, 1905). In all profiles of the studied peatlands, the occurrence of rotifers was not correlated with pollen of aquatic or mire plants or NPPs; they seem to be more related to geochemical indices. The highest densities of rotifers were found in profile sections without significant fluctuations of geochemical variables, i.e. those with higher Na/K (chemical denudation) ratios and stable redox conditions (Fe/Mn ratio). The study of subfossil rotifers supported by multiproxy analysis of peat deposits could be a useful tool for indication of periods with stable palaeohydrological conditions during the Late Glacial and Holocene.

Матывы яблыка і Бога ў паэтычным зборніку "Чацвёртая стража" (2004 года выдання) Галіны Тварановіч

This article is aimed at the contextualization and analysis of, first and foremost, Halina Tvaranovic as a researcher and poet in the circles of the Belarusian borderland tradition within the territory of the Polish Republic and, secondly, of the motifs of the apple and God in the context of representing plants and religious symbols and concepts that are prominent in her work, most especially, in her third poetry collection, The Fourth Guard. In order to achieve this goal, we have selected a series of elements that shape the poetry in the aforementioned book, considered the author’s semantics, style, and background, and evaluated the literary and culturally significant of these elements in their context. We have taken into account the parallels and links present within the book, as well as their relationship to the poet’s other works and their connections to other poets within the literary processes of the Podlasie region and Belarusian-language literature in a broader scope. Our analysis has shown us that nature and divinity come together in Halina Tvaranovic’s poetry, forming a holistic picture that can be extrapolated to the concept of the Homeland (both big, in an all-Belarusian sense, and small, in a regional meaning), which the poet, we conclude, has adopted from the literary tradition of the Belarusian minority in Poland.

The Aroma Composition of Koryciński Cheese Ripened in Different Temperatures.

As a regional product, Koryciński cheese is one of the most important cheeses in the Podlasie region of Poland. In this study, the influence of technological processes, such as ripening, on shaping the organoleptic characteristics of cheese was determined. Korycin-type cheeses are produced from cow's milk according to traditional technology. The ripening process lasted 466 h at 5 °C, 10 °C, and 15 °C. The aging temperature had a decisive influence on the number of esters and organic acids formed, which were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The organoleptic properties of the cheeses were also related to the ripening temperature.

Zygmunt Gloger wobec nowoczesności. Refleksje wokół książki „Dolinami rzek”

The article focuses on the presentation of Zygmunt Gloger's attitude to the world of modernity with its three basic attributes: the idea of social equality, the thesis on continuous progress, and Darwin's vision of man. The discussion is limited to Gloger's Dolinami rzek (Through River Valleys, 1903), disregarding the author's works from the period 1867–1905. Analysing typical examples from the book by the traveller and archaeologist of the Podlasie region, the author comes to the conclusion that Zygmunt Gloger's attitude to modernity is ambivalent: it reflects the inner dilemma of a man who, out of necessity, is a citizen of Tsarist Russia, but deep down does not accept the imposed “Russian mir”, making therapeutic journeys in "search of lost time", preserving in his travel accounts the “phantasm of the Polish Republic” (in Jarosław Ławawawski's words).

Identification of Environmental Pollution Sources in a Selected Town in the Podlasie Region

The environment is considered as an ideal machine, a system in which nothing happens without a reason. Every transformation, every action and stimulus has its own consequences, which are not always immediately plain to see. It is due to the fact that the environment is like a communicating vessels, or a complex organism, in which everything is interdependent and the organs work together. Despite the complexity of the processes, the intricate yet logical correlations between the elements, it is not a perfect system. Examples are weather anomalies and, in extreme cases, cataclysms. The problem arises when man interferes with the environment. By polluting almost every possible place, he initiates irreversible changes, degrading the environment. This paper presents an analysis of atmospheric air pollution in the town of Supraśl, as well as analysis of surface water from the Supraśl river and soil samples from a selected area.

The Specificity of Formation and Use of Patronyms in the Orthodox Parish of Rajsk in the Podlasie Region in the Late 19th Century

Widespread use of patronymic names among the Orthodox residents of Podlasie in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries is conditioned by its administrative affiliation to the Russian Empire and consequently, the prevalence of the Russian naming formula. This paper discusses patronymics (otchestva) attested in the Rajsk parish registers in the late 19th century. Researching the structure (including word-formation, phonetic, and graphic features) and etymology of these names, the author discovers that most of patronyms were derived from the Orthodox variants of proper names (e.g. Ilіin, Sofronіev, Filimonov; Aleksіeva, Stefanova), yet some refer to the non-canonical variants of baptismal names (e.g. Bonifatov, Tarasov; Demianova, Sebestіanova, Trokhimova), differing from the original variants by phonetic alternations. From derivation perspective, short forms of patronyms (so-called semi-patronymics, poluotchestva) e.g. Ignatіev, Matfeev, Fomov; Kondratova, Stakhіeva prevail over the full forms (Petrovich, Savvich; Epifanіevna, Ippolitovna). The presence of patronyms in the personal data allows to trace family traditions of naming children spanning three generations. Regardless of the fact that all analyzed records were made by one person, the names showcase a noticeable variability in terms of motivation, word-formation, orthography, and phonetics. It was not uncommon for the different patronymics to refer to one and the same bearer, highlighting the phenomenon of several co-existing name variants in the period in question.

Imiennictwo mieszczanek brańskich w XVII–XVIII wieku

The subject of this article is female names of Brańsk residents in the Podlasie region in the 17th and 18th centuries. The conducted anthroponymic analysis is based on material extracted from two types of sources. These are the record books of the Catholic parish in Brańsk and the local town books that have survived to our times. Female names excerpted from the examined material base were presented in the form of a dictionary. The preserved record of the local Catholic parish was also used to investigate the frequency of giving names to newborn girls in the two-century period of examination. On the basis of the anthroponymic analysis it was established that in the studied town there was a process of gradual impoverishment of the name stock associated with the Byzantine culture in favor of expanding and enriching the repertoire of names characteristic of the Latin cultural tradition. In many respects, the names of Brańsk residents in the 17th and 18th centuries show typical features of the name system of the Polish-East Slavic ethnic and linguistic borderland.

Wieloimienność wśród kobiet z warstwy mieszczańskiej i chłopskiej środkowo-zachodniego Podlasia (na materiale XVIII-wiecznych katolickich i unickich akt metrykalnych)

The following paper addresses the problem of multiple names among women in the bourgeois and peasant environments in the 18th century. The anthroponymic material, which provides the basis for the analysis, dates from the years 1706–1799 and was extracted from 14 record books of 8 parishes (7 Catholic and 1 Uniate) in the mid-western Podlasie region. Despite the fact that the two- and three- name formations are scarce (in the examined onomastic material they account for only 2.7% of the nominations), they appear to be an interesting research object. The study analyzes their origin and frequency. Additionally, the spread of multi-name nominations in the study and their chronology were examined.

Bog pine dendrochronology related to peat stratigraphy: Palaeoenvironmental changes reflected in peatland deposits since the Late Glacial (case study of the Imszar raised bog, Northeastern Poland)

Resultsof dendrochronological analysis of subfossil pine (Pinus sylvestris) buried in the Imszar raised bog deposits (NE Poland, Podlasie Region), were compared with multiproxy analysis of peat deposits (pollen and Non Pollen Palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, Cladocera, and geochemical analyses). The peat (3.3 m thick) accumulation started in the Allerød interstadial. The oldest pine tree population grew in this peatland in ca 6790–6530 cal yrs. BP: floating chronology (determined with the wiggle–matching method) covers this period is 255 years long. The growth of trees on the fen was related to the drying out of the fen at that time, which caused the break in peat accumulation (hiatus). Apart from numerous fallen trees excavated during the peat extraction, a horizon of vertical in situ tree trunks ingrown to the ground, were exposed during peat exploitation. On the basis of a dozen or so trees, a second, “dead forest” floating chronology 197 years long, was compiled with a time range of ca 4255-4060 cal yrs. BP. The youngest, third pine floating chronology (310 years long), elaborated on the basis of ex situ tree trunks, covers the time frame of ca 3130-2820 cal yrs. BP. Multiproxy analyzes of fen deposits indicate that the three stage colonization of the peatland by bog pine was associated with the periods of warming and overdrying in the climate of the Holocene, during which the groundwater table in the Imszar peatland significantly lowered. In turn, the dying off stages of the pine trees occurred in the phases of climate humidity growth, during which the groundwater level in the fen raised. They are well correlated with analogous bog pine germination and dying-off phases in the other European peatlands.

The 19th-century dialect glossary from the Podlasie region by Zygmunt Wasilewski as a contribution to the history of the Polish dialect lexicography

The subject matter described in this paper is the lexicographic work of Zygmunt Wasilewski, a lawyer, politician, columnist, literary critic, which refers to his 19th-century glossary from the Podlasie region. When characterising this small collection of words (282 headwords), the macrostructure and microstructure of the glossary is taken into consideration. Its lexical material is fi rst of all a source of knowledge about the oldest state of Podlasie dialects and research on Polish dialects overall, but it also offers an insight in the methods of this unqualifi ed lexicographer, enthusiast of “folk things”, amateur ethnographer and dialectologist.

The Lithuanian national minority in Poland: language and community

This paper is dedicated to Lithuanians, one of the smallest national minorities in Poland. It characterises the Lithuanian community, which densely populates the Podlasie region in three clusters (Puńsk, Sejny, Suwałki). The study presents the last century’s history of the Lithuanian education and culture, including differences between the Puńsk and Sejny centres. Lithuanians’ strong sense of national identity is closely connected with their mother tongue, culture and traditions. The minority’s community nature is evidenced by the high prestige and broad scope of use of the native dialect. The functions of the primary and secondary languages are clearly specifi ed by the Lithuanian- or Polish-speaking recipient. The transformations occurring in the Southern Aukštaitian dialect are aimed at unifi cation of the Sejny and Puńsk dialects in younger people’s speech and creation of a regiolect. Interference under a strong infl uence of the Polish language is noticeable at all levels of the primary language

New Sacred Places in Contemporary Poland: Ethnographic Case Study of Two Miracles in Sokółka and Legnica

Abstract Events that happened in Poland in 2008 and 2013 related to the alleged miracles in Sokółka (in the Podlasie region) and Legnica (in the Silesia region) seriously affected the native ‘sacrosphere.’ Sensational information about the unusual events polarized public opinion by confronting secular and religious worldviews. At the same time, the increase in the devotion of the faithful was accompanied by folklore-forming mechanisms, adding new threads to the ‘miraculous story.’ Ethnographic research performed in the newly founded sanctuaries reveals elements of sensuality specific to folk religiosity. Miracles displaying the motif of blood build the reputation of Sokółka and Legnica as new holy places, attracting pilgrims and tourists from Poland and abroad. Contrary to pessimistic predictions of widespread secularization, there was a revival of the so-called ‘traditional piety.’ Folk religiosity revealed its vitality.

Effects of Application of Recycled Chicken Manure and Spent Mushroom Substrate on Organic Matter, Acidity, and Hydraulic Properties of Sandy Soils.

Soil organic matter is a key resource base for agriculture. However, its content in cultivated soils is low and often decreases. This study aimed at examining the effects of long-term application of chicken manure (CM) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) on organic matter accumulation, acidity, and hydraulic properties of soil. Two podzol soils with sandy texture in Podlasie Region (Poland) were enriched with recycled CM (10 Mg ha−1) and SMS (20 Mg ha−1), respectively, every 1–2 years for 20 years. The application of CM and SMS increased soil organic matter content at the depths of 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm, especially at 0–20 cm (by 102–201%). The initial soil pH increased in the CM- and SMS-amended soil by 1.7–2.0 units and 1.0–1.2 units, respectively. Soil bulk density at comparable depths increased and decreased following the addition of CM and SMS, respectively. The addition of CM increased field water capacity (at –100 hPa) in the range from 45.8 to 117.8% depending on the depth within the 0–60 cm layer. In the case of the SMS addition, the value of the parameter was in the range of 42.4–48.5% at two depths within 0–40 cm. Depending on the depth, CM reduced the content of transmission pores (>50 µm) in the range from 46.3 to 82.3% and increased the level of residual pores (<0.5 µm) by 91.0–198.6%. SMS increased the content of residual pores at the successive depths by 121.8, 251.0, and 30.3% and decreased or increased the content of transmission and storage pores. Additionally, it significantly reduced the saturated hydraulic conductivity at two depths within 0–40 cm. The fitted unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at two depths within the 0–40 cm layer increased and decreased in the CM- and SMS-amended soils, respectively. The results provide a novel insight into the application of recycled organic materials to sequester soil organic matter and improve crop productivity by increasing soil water retention capacity and decreasing acidity. This is of particular importance in the case of the studied low-productivity sandy acidic soils that have to be used in agriculture due to limited global land resources and rising food demand.

Spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity and its links with other soil properties at the regional scale

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) is a key property for evaluating soil water movement and quality. Most studies on spatial variability of K have been performed soil at a field or smaller scale. Therefore, the aim of this work was to assess (quantify) the spatial distribution of K at the larger regional scale in south-eastern Poland and its relationship with other soil properties, including intrinsic sand, silt, and clay contents, relatively stable organic carbon, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and temporally variable water content (WC), total porosity (FI), and dry bulk density (BD) in the surface layer (0–20 cm). The spatial relationships were assessed using a semivariogram and a cross-semivariogram. The studied region (140 km2) with predominantly permeable sandy soils with low fertility and productivity is located in the south-eastern part of Poland (Podlasie region). The mean sand and organic carbon contents are 74 and 0.86 and their ranges (in %) are 45–95 and 0.002–3.75, respectively. The number of individual samples varied from 216 to 228 (for K, WC, BD, FI) to 691 for the other soil properties. The best fitting models were adjusted to the empirical semivariogram (exponential) and the cross-semivariogram (exponential, Gaussian, or linear) used to draw maps with kriging. The results showed that, among the soil properties studied, K was most variable (coefficient of variation 77.3%) and significantly (p < 0.05) positively correlated with total porosity (r = 0.300) and negatively correlated with soil bulk density (r = – 0.283). The normal or close to the normal distribution was obtained by natural logarithmic and root square transformations. The mean K was 2.597 m day−1 and ranged from 0.01 up to 11.54 m day−1. The spatial autocorrelation (range) of K in the single (direct) semivariograms was 0.081° (8.1 km), while it favourably increased up to 0.149°–0.81° (14.9–81 km) in the cross-semivariograms using the OC contents, textural fractions, and CEC as auxiliary variables. The generated spatial maps allowed outlining two sub-areas with predominantly high K above 3.0 m day−1 in the northern sandier (sand content > 74%) and less silty (silt content < 22%) part and, with lower K in the southern part of the study region. Generally, the spatial distribution of the K values in the study region depended on the share of individual intrinsic textural fractions. On the other hand, the ranges of the spatial relationship between K and the intrinsic and relatively stable soil properties were much larger (from ~ 15 to 81 km) than between K and the temporally variable soil properties (0.3–0.9 km). This knowledge is supportive for making decisions related to land management aimed at alteration of hydraulic conductivity to improve soil water resources and crop productivity and reduce chemical leaching.

The role of administrative borders in determining regional identity: The case of Podlasie, Poland

Abstract The borders of voivodships in Poland today are not consistent with those of historical regions. The current administrative division is largely based upon imposed boundaries, dividing initial regions. This research topic arises from the dichotomy between the toponymy applied to voivodships because of the administrative reform of 1999 – and the names of historical regions. Implementing such a toponomy, although detached from historical and cultural contexts, has contributed to establishing attachments with current administrative regions, which surpasses identification with historical units. This paper presents the results of empirical research employing a questionnaire survey of the inhabitants of 71 communes (LAU 2 units) in north-eastern Poland. The main objective was to examine the impact of recent administrative reform on territorial identity, with particular emphasis placed on the region of Podlasie. The surveyed communities are to the highest extent attached to national and local levels than to the region, which was only ranked third in the hierarchy of identification with a given area. The regional identity of the population living in north-east Poland is related primarily to the contemporary administrative borders. There are, however, explicit differences in perceptions of the region of Podlasie depending upon respondents’ place of residence, which is an indication that relict borders persist in the residents’ social consciousness.